Liquid crystal display

An LCD which having a high response speed, a wide viewing angle and a high contrast and capable of displaying high-quality gray-scale images at normal temperature. The LCD comprises an array substrate, a counter substrate opposing the array substrate, pixel electrodes arranged on the array substrate in rows and columns, each connected to an active element, a first orientation film provided on the pixel electrodes, a counter electrode opposing the pixel electrodes, arranged on the counter substrate, a second orientation film provided on the counter electrode, rubbed in a direction slightly inclined to a direction in which the first orientation has been rubbed, and a layer of antiferroelectric liquid crystal sealed in a gap between the first and second orientation films, the antiferroelectric liquid crystal being a smectic liquid crystal which contains an antiferroelectric liquid crystal compound represented by R1(O)-Zm-Y-E-COO.C*HX-R4. The liquid crystal exhibits transmittance which increases monotonically with applied voltage and exhibits a memory margin M ranging from -1 to 0 at normal temperature. The memory margin M is given as M=(V10-V'90)/(V90-V10).