1
as in volcano
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 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
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 tinderbox
Climate whiplash, made worse by our actions, created a tinderbox.
—
Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for tinderbox
Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for tinderbox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinderbox
Noun
-
Magma began flowing at a volcano near the town of Grindavík, where some 40 homes have been evacuated, national broadcaster RUV said.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
-
The volcano’s gift This is not the first time banana farming has been under existential threat from Panama disease.—
Colette Davidson,
Christian Science Monitor,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The same governor who’s more focused on banning books and waging war against Disney than addressing the actual crises everyday Floridians face.—
Anne Watts Tressler,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2025
-
In the larger context of the global climate crisis, this image of a plane suspended between sky and water becomes a foreboding symbol.—
Alan Taylor,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Judging by the numbers, though, the situation in New Mexico is even more dire.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Debt relief programs usually charge between 15% and 25% of the total debt owed or the total amount that is eventually paid to the creditor, depending on the company and your financial situation.—
Víctor Rosario,
Sacbee.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tinderbox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderbox. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share