A novel liquid crystal display device is disclosed. The device comprises a first polarizing element and a second polarizing element which are disposed with their transmission axes perpendicular to each other, a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and the second polarizing elements, and a first optically anisotropic layer disposed between the first or the second polarizing element and the liquid crystal layer, showing a positive in-plane retardation (Re) at .lamda.1 and a negative Re at .lamda.2, both of .lamda.1 and .lamda.2 (.lamda.1.noteq..lamda.2) are within a visible wavelength range, and its absolute value of a thickness-direction retardation at 550 nm, |Rth(550)|, is equal to or more than 50 nm.