Provided are: a liquid-crystalline compound which satisfies at least one property selected from high stability to light, a high clear point, a low lower-limit temperature of a liquid crystal phase, a low viscosity, proper optical anisotropy, high dielectric anisotropy, a high dielectric constant in a short axis direction, a proper elastic constant, excellent compatibility and the like; a liquid crystal composition which contains the compound; and a liquid crystal display element comprising the composition. A compound represented by formula (1). For example, R1 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 15 carbon atoms, rings A1 to A4 independently represent 1,4-cyclohexylene or 1,4-phenylene, Z1 to Z4 independently represent a single bond, -(CH2)2-, -COO- or -CH2O-, X1 represents a halogen atom, -C≡N, -CF3 or -OCF3, L1 and L2 independently represent a hydrogen atom or a fluorine atom, Y1 and Y2 independently represent a fluorine atom, and a, b, c and d independently represent 0 or 1 wherein the sum total of a, b, c and d is 1 or 2.