A liquid crystal composition exhibits a positive dielectric anisotropy and sufficiently low viscosity without decreasing or increasing refractive index anisotropy or nematic phase-isotropic liquid phase transition temperature, and does not cause display failures. The liquid crystal composition contains one or more compounds selected from compounds represented by general formula (LC0) and one or more compounds selected from a group of compounds represented by general formula (LC1) to general formula (LC5), in which the liquid crystal composition contains one or more compounds in which at least one of A.sup.01, A.sup.02, and A.sup.11 to A.sup.42 in general formulae (LC0) to (LC4) represents a tetrahydropyran-2,5-diyl group.

A liquid crystal display device includes: a first substrate including a plurality of pixel areas; a first sub-pixel electrode disposed in a first pixel area on the first substrate; a second sub-pixel electrode disposed in the first pixel area on the first substrate and spaced apart from the first sub-pixel electrode, and a polarity of a voltage applied to the second sub-pixel electrode with reference to a common voltage is different from a polarity of a voltage applied to the first sub-pixel electrode with reference to the common voltage; a second substrate facing the first substrate and spaced apart from the first substrate; and a liquid crystal layer which interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and including a liquid crystal composition having dielectric anisotropy of about 2.5 to about 1.5.

The present invention relates to a nematic liquid crystal composition useful as an electro-optic liquid crystal display material and having a positive dielectric anisotropy (). The liquid crystal composition has refractive index anisotropy (n) adjusted to a desired level, a sufficiently low viscosity (), and a positive dielectric anisotropy () while degradation of the temperature range of the nematic phase is avoided by suppressing the decrease in nematic phase-isotropic liquid phase transition temperature (T.sub.ni) and the increase in lower limit temperature of the nematic phase. The liquid crystal composition contains one or more compounds selected from compounds represented by general formula (LC0) and one or more compounds selected from a group of compounds represented by general formula (LC1) to general formula (LC5).

A liquid crystal compound represented by Formula 1: ##STR00001##

A liquid crystal composition includes at least one liquid crystal molecule represented by Chemical Formulas 1-1 to 1-6, and at least one liquid crystal molecule represented by Chemical Formulas 2-1 to 2-6.

The present invention relates to a liquid-crystalline medium (LC medium), to the use thereof for electrooptical purposes and to LC displays comprising this medium.