There is provided a liquid crystalline compound having a high voltage holding ratio which has a very small degree of temperature dependence, a low threshold voltage which has a very small degree of temperature dependence, a high &Dgr;n, and excellent miscibility with other liquid crystal materials at low temperature; a liquid crystal composition; and a liquid crystal display element, and the liquid crystalline compound is a substituted benzene derivative represented by general formula (1), where, R represents a straight chain or branched alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms in which each of optional and nonadjacent methylene groups (—CH2—) may be substituted by an oxygen atom; X represents a halogen atom, —CF3, —CF2H, —CFH2, —OCF3 or —OCF2H; each of Z1 and Z2 independently represents —(CH2)2—, —(CH2)4—, —CH2O—, —OCH2— or a covalent bond, but Z1 and Z2 are not covalent bonds simultaneously; each of Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5, and Y6 independently represents H or F, but at least one of Y1, Y2, Y3, and Y4 represents F.