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 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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Alarmingly, in simulated war games designed to mirror Cold-War-style nuclear crises, AI models overwhelmingly escalated toward nuclear options, choosing tactical nuclear action in 95% of scenarios and rarely opting for de-escalation.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Mar. 2026
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Even gold was caught up in the selling frenzy, odd for a safe haven asset usually turned to during times of crises.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 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 4 Mar. 2026.
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