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
Relevance
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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Audiences will witness how life finds a way to survive on a planet where meteors fall, super volcanoes erupt, seas boil and the land moves.—
Erin Lassner,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
-
Its dark terrain is constantly changing due to lava flows from Kilauea or Mauna Loa – two of the most active volcanoes in the world, according to the National Park Service website.—
Alia Beard Rau,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
The fire department now receives more than 110,000 calls each year for fires, medical crises and other emergencies, as the city confronts rising wildfire risks and an entrenched homelessness crisis that demands first responders’ attention.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
-
There will also be increased MARTA staffing to help manage large crowds on the train platforms, and expansion of the MARTA Hope program which helps riders experiencing mental health crises, substance abuse or homelessness.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Argyle, a quiet community holding on to its rural roots, is at a crossroads with rapid growth and traffic congestion driving the need to widen FM 407, which goes through the town in southern Denton County.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 June 2026
-
As complexities increase, that crossroads of simplicity and safety will continue to be a focal point — and tools like those created by CyberFOX will continue to stand out for maintaining ease of use, adaptability, and scalability, all without compromising on strong security.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tinderboxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderboxes. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
