1
as in volcano
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 crisis
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 tinderbox
East County regularly is blasted by high winds and hot temperatures, conditions that dry out brush and can create a tinderbox waiting for a spark.
—
Karen Kucher, The Mercury News, 6 Dec. 2024
At the same time, economic opportunities remain limited for many, creating a tinderbox of frustration, tension and anger.
—Emma Bubola, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024
The former Soviet space remains a tinderbox, still reckoning with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, which should be thought of not as an event but as a process, as the historian Serhii Plokhy has aptly put it.
—Michael Kofman, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021
Ironically, the seasonal drought that had turned Los Angeles County into a tinderbox kept many reptiles and amphibians safe initially.
—Anton Sorokin, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tinderbox
Karen Kucher, The Mercury News, 6 Dec. 2024
At the same time, economic opportunities remain limited for many, creating a tinderbox of frustration, tension and anger.
—Emma Bubola, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024
The former Soviet space remains a tinderbox, still reckoning with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, which should be thought of not as an event but as a process, as the historian Serhii Plokhy has aptly put it.
—Michael Kofman, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021
Ironically, the seasonal drought that had turned Los Angeles County into a tinderbox kept many reptiles and amphibians safe initially.
—Anton Sorokin, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tinderbox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinderbox
Noun
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Still, the disruption Friday fell short of the one caused by the 2010 eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed clouds of ash into the atmosphere and created trans-Atlantic air travel chaos for months.—
Danica Kirka,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2025
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Friday's disruption was one of the most serious since the 2010 eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed clouds of ash into the atmosphere and shut Europe's airspace for days.—
BRIAN MELLEY,
TIME,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Sims said another valuable discovery was better communicating to the public that information during a public health crisis can change rapidly.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2025
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Doing so stopped being profitable once the disease ceased to be a crisis in rich countries.—
John Green,
The Atlantic,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The Horned Frogs had an injury situation from hell during 2023-24 but figured to be on the upswing with a now-veteran roster.—
Sabreena Merchant,
The Athletic,
22 Mar. 2025
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The feeling of being a victim, unable to change our own situation, let alone that of others, further reinforces our propensity to adopt a bystander stance, focusing on our own needs while ignoring the rest.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tinderbox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderbox. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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