The present invention provides liquid crystalline compounds having compatibility with the other liquid crystal materials and excellent stability, and having low viscosity and high transition temperature of the isotropic phase, liquid crystal compositions containing at least one kind of the liquid crystalline compounds, and liquid crystal display devices constituted by using the liquid crystal compositions. The liquid crystalline compounds are represented by the following formula:

        R-A 1 -Z 1 -A 2 -Z 2 -A 3 -Z 3 -A 4 -(CH 2 ) m -X     (1)

wherein R indicates H or an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms (one or more methylene group (-CH 2 -) in the alkyl group may be replaced by -O-, -S-, -CO-, -CH=CH- or -C≡C-, but -O- or -S- are not continuous), m indicates an integer of 1 to 10; X indicates F, Cl, Br, I or OH; A 1 , A 2 , A 3 and A 4 , each independently, indicate a trans-1,4-cyclohexylene group, a 1,4-phenylene group in which one or more hydrogen atoms on the ring may be substituted by a fluorine atom, a cyclohexenylenediyl group, a pyrimidine-2,5-diyl group, a pyridine-2,5-diyl group or a 1,3-dioxane-2,5-diyl group; Z 1 , Z 2 and Z 3 , each independently, indicate -(CH 2 ) 2 - or a covalent bond, and at least two of Z 1 , Z 2 and Z 3 indicate covalent bonds.