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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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 city offers a mix of culture, volcanoes and close beaches.—
Celia Fernandez,
CNBC,
23 Jan. 2026
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Mars is famous for its volcanoes, canyons and ancient river valleys, but some of its most active geology happens in slow motion, powered by air.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But so does an institutional tendency to respond to crises rather than implement reforms to completion.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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By the Sixties and Seventies, avant-garde disciples of Cowell had embraced graphic notation to compose work that responded to crises both global and domestic.—
Olivia Giovetti,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Turned to music, his body emerges from the ditch and now the dust is beautiful, a labyrinth of intersecting crossroads.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
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This crossroads of the world is set to become a crossroads for design-conscious travelers, too.—
Anna Grace Lee,
Vogue,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tinderboxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderboxes. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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