powder keg

Converse of object

• ignite: Lessons to be learned In some ways the action research ignited a powder keg that had been waiting to go off.
• remain: Uzbekistan may not blow up today, but it remains a powder keg.
• become: The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia could well become the next powder keg.

Adjective modifier

• potential: The Middle East conflict has long been recognized as a potential powder keg.