Thesaurus results for TINDERBOX

tinderbox

noun

ˈtin-dər-ˌbäks

Definition of tinderbox

as in volcano

a potentially explosive place or situation officials sought to calm the situation, which had grown into a tinderbox

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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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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 This year, Europe has been sweltering under an exceptionally hot and arid summer, with tinderbox conditions setting off unprecedented fires that have forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate homes and vacation spots. — ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026 As always with nuclear technology, worries about security, weapons proliferation and political complications in a tinderbox region have been central concerns. — Yousef Saba, USA Today, 22 July 2026 That was exacerbated by the extreme heat this year in France and Spain, which in many cases turned scrub grassland into a tinderbox. — Simon Constable, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2026 Without a slow-melting blanket of snow to keep the soil and forests moist, alpine vegetation is drying into a tinderbox earlier than normal and ramping up the fire risk. — Jasmine Garland, The Conversation, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for tinderbox

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tinderbox

Noun

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 280 million people with frequent seismic activity and Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes.

— ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park is named for the tallest volcano in the Cascade Range.

— Giovanna Caravetta, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of volcano

Noun

The climate crisis is making certain types of extreme weather events both more frequent and more severe.

— Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
State health authorities who have been fighting the opioid crisis for decades are still surprised by the drop, said Evan Gumas, a senior research associate at the Commonwealth Fund.

— Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of crisis

Noun

The Samuels’ run, however, was the spark that lit the fuse after the Caravan was denied on a fourth-and-short situation on its opening possession.

— Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
Meanwhile, Fed policy uncertainty, the Middle East situation, and an earnings season burdened with high expectations could all act as catalysts for fresh turbulence.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of situation

Browse Nearby Words

tincturing

tinderbox

tinderboxes

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“Tinderbox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tinderbox. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of tinderbox

noun

Example Sentences

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