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
The Industrial Revolution, supercharged by the Civil War, transformed Northeastern cities into denser and denser wooden tinderboxes filled with tons of humans more than capable of accidentally generating sparks.
—
Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
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
Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinderboxes
Noun
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On the ride itself, visitors will see high-def erupting volcanoes, frozen landscapes as well as wildlife including seals, sperm whales, polar bears and beluga whales, during a watery virtual plunge.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
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Although 99 percent of Antarctica is covered with ice, the landscape still manages to be stunningly diverse—surreal blue glaciers, active volcanoes, the rough waterways of the Drake Passage, and 360-degree views of untouched snow.—
Jordi Lippe-McGraw
May 20,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 May 2026
Noun
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The Institute observed that a UBI program did not necessarily cause inflation; delivery system strength is key; an effective communication strategy is essential; the UBI program should fit within existing schemes; and crises shed light on the gaps in social protection systems.—
Carrie Brandon Elliot,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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As mental health crises and resources continue to stretch, many fear the consequences could echo the fallout from the Covid pandemic.—
Will Barker,
TheWeek,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Initially trained in physics at Imperial College London before working at Amazon, Cuturi approaches the art world with the logic of a strategist but the instincts of a collector, positioning his gallery at the crossroads between Southeast Asia and Europe rather than simply another Parisian outpost.—
Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
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DiVincenzo is an easy player to plug into a variety of lineups, as the last few years have shown, but that’s a difficult injury to be at a crossroads for.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tinderboxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderboxes. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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