1
as in volcano
a potentially explosive place or situation
officials sought to calm the situation, which had grown into a tinderbox
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2
as in crisis
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action
while the country's prime minister was meeting with the U.S. president, a political tinderbox was igniting at home
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tinderbox
When a young girl impregnated by her pedophile stepfather unwittingly lands there, her arrival is the spark that lights a tinderbox.
—
New York Times, 8 July 2024
Drought conditions in Los Angeles made the area a tinderbox – flammable conditions exacerbated by the fact that Southern California had unusually wet weather from 2022 to 2024.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025
Israel is at the center of a tinderbox of multiple, interrelated Middle East conflicts.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2024
Millions of Californians already live in tinderbox canyons and at the edges of shrub fields and overgrown forests.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tinderbox
New York Times, 8 July 2024
Drought conditions in Los Angeles made the area a tinderbox – flammable conditions exacerbated by the fact that Southern California had unusually wet weather from 2022 to 2024.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025
Israel is at the center of a tinderbox of multiple, interrelated Middle East conflicts.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2024
Millions of Californians already live in tinderbox canyons and at the edges of shrub fields and overgrown forests.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tinderbox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinderbox
Noun
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Excellent guide/driver combos take guests off-roading on geological Big 5 safari drives to see salt flats, geysers at 14,000 feet, canyons and dunes that rival Jordan and Utah, and a string of volcanoes that make this part of Chile one of the most active sites in the world.—
Laura Dannen Redman,
Robb Report,
28 July 2025
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Seafloor volcanoes could heat these moons’ oceans and provide the basic chemicals needed for life.—
James F. Holden,
The Conversation,
21 July 2025
Noun
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Things happen, our heroes react, a potentially world-ending crisis is easily averted and everything is wrapped up in time for dinner.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
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Yet this rift still coincides with a deepening fiscal crisis.—
Joël Té-Léssia Assoko,
semafor.com,
25 July 2025
Noun
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Kane said this new program will be unique because a social worker and peer support advocate will present and ready to assist anyone working through a difficult situation or needing more assistance.—
Shelby Slade,
AZCentral.com,
21 July 2025
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Radke also alleged that Lee had threatened him over the situation, a claim Furlan backed up in her video.—
Bailey Richards,
People.com,
20 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tinderbox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderbox. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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