high-hanging fruit

noun

Fruit that, because of its height from the ground, is more difficult to harvest.

Opposite
low-hanging fruit
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Meanings

nounhigh-hanging fruit (uncountable)
  1. literallyuncountableFruit that, because of its height from the ground, is more difficult to harvest.
  2. figurativelyuncountableAnything that is difficult to achieve, and which is postponed while simpler alternatives are still available.

    The smaller research-based centers will tackle the much more difficult to express, high-hanging fruit, in particular, represented by membrane and posttransationally modified proteins.

    2007 Ricardo Cavicchioli - Archaea: Molecular and Cellular Biology - Page 455

    Antonyms: low-hanging fruit

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAnything that is difficult to achieve, and which is postponed while simpler alternatives are still available.

Opposite
low-hanging fruit
Cite this entry
APA

high-hanging fruit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/high-hanging%20fruit

MLA

“high-hanging fruit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/high-hanging%20fruit. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “high-hanging fruit,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/high-hanging%20fruit.

Source: high-hanging fruit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.