1
as in volcanoes
a potentially explosive place or situation
officials sought to calm the situation, which had grown into a tinderbox
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in crises
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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Recent Examples of tinderboxes
Unlike natural thinning, large fire-resilient trees are typically high-graded for felling in Jackson, creating tinderboxes of 300 to 500 mostly juvenile trees per acre.
—
John P. O’Brien, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
John P. O’Brien, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinderboxes
Noun
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The greatest concentration of mud volcanoes is found in Azerbaijan, Manga said.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Nicaragua has 27 volcanoes, eight of which are active.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Operational crises, such as an aircraft going AOG (aircraft on ground), serve to expose the fragility of these systems when they are left adrift without the kind of structured or properly governed data that is necessary.—
William Jones,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
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While there have been numerous attempts to end hostilities in Sudan, the fighting rages on, creating one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, including the first declaration of famine anywhere in years.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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As fireworks prepare to mark the nation's 250th anniversary this July, Georgia once again sits at the crossroads of national politics — a state where presidential rhetoric meets lived reality.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
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These bills often put the GOP at a crossroads by forcing members to go on record on politically inconvenient topics.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tinderboxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderboxes. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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