1
as in volcanoes
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 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 world is home to gigantic storms bigger than Australia, 100-mph winds pummeling its northern reaches and a rocky moon named Io orbiting it that is notoriously riddled with lava-spewing volcanoes.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
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However, South Africa’s history was wrought with geological conflict as erupting volcanoes destroyed traces of preexisting dinosaurs while those beasts were still alive.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Nick Puglia accused the former governor of abandoning storm victims across multiple crises.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Feb. 2026
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That becomes extremely apparent in national—or global—health crises, such as pandemics.—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The ambulance with Hamas goes through major crossroads.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
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Florida’s 2026 Legislative Session is reaching the halfway mark, and public schools are at a crossroads that lawmakers can address.—
Andrew Spar,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tinderboxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderboxes. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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