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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For those who want to take a day trip to hike in Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park—a little over an hour away—winter is ideal, with steady warm temperatures and a photogenic dusting of snow on the volcanoes.
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Darwin suspected that atolls formed when coral grew around volcanoes, creating a ring that remained when the volcano subsided.
Noun
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Famous fashion dolls Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) head to the Real World and deal with existential crises while things go goofily awry for the plastic folks in Barbie Land.
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New research reveals 80% of consumers learn about brand crises on social platforms, expecting swift, transparent engagement over traditional press releases.
Noun
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Inventory levels at Cushing, Oklahoma, the pipeline crossroads of the United States, fell just below 19 million barrels last week, the lowest since August 2014.
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On the cusp of the 250th anniversary of its founding, the United States of America is at a crossroads.
Cite this Entry
“Tinderboxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderboxes. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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