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
With his new book The Message, Ta-Nehisi Coates, a journalist who indelibly shaped the national conversation on race in America during the Obama years, turns his scrupulous attention toward yet another tinderbox of a problem: that of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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Constance Grady, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
In this tinderbox environment, when a tweet, press release, or even silence on a trending issue can ignite a firestorm, the stakes for CEOs have never been higher.
—Tracy Lawrence, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
The area around Shebaa has been a long-standing tinderbox.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2024
Read more Spiking West Bank violence adds another front
After almost a year of a brutal war with Hamas in Gaza, Israel is at the center of a tinderbox of multiple, interrelated Middle East conflicts.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tinderbox 
Constance Grady, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
In this tinderbox environment, when a tweet, press release, or even silence on a trending issue can ignite a firestorm, the stakes for CEOs have never been higher.
—Tracy Lawrence, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
The area around Shebaa has been a long-standing tinderbox.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2024
Read more Spiking West Bank violence adds another front
After almost a year of a brutal war with Hamas in Gaza, Israel is at the center of a tinderbox of multiple, interrelated Middle East conflicts.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tinderbox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinderbox
Noun
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On May 2, 2008, the Chaitén volcano in Chile awoke with unexpected fury after more than 9,000 years of dormancy.Ashley Balzer Vigil, Ars Technica, 21 Dec. 2024
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From Bariloche, neighboring alpine towns are easily reachable by car or bus, and day hikes to nearby volcanoes, lakes, and glaciers are plentiful.Nicholas DeRenzo, AFAR Media, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
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What could be more low stakes than tan, Orange County teens dating, shopping, and gossiping in the fat years before the subprime-mortgage crisis?Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2024
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The long-lasting crisis revealed numerous gaps in a workforce under immense strain.Caitlin Rivers, WIRED, 27 Dec. 2024
Noun
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That situation has not changed, spokesperson Sherri McKinney said Thursday.Frank Gluck, The Tennessean, 22 Dec. 2024
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In this situation, Short is a driver competing for the same parking spot as them at a mall on Christmas Eve.Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Tinderbox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderbox. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
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