A liquid crystal display having improved retardation plate is described. In the liquid crystal display, at least one of two panel plates has a polarizer placed on an outer side which is opposite to a liquid crystal layer and a quarter wavelength retardation plate between a substrate glass and the polarizer. The quarter wavelength retardation plate is composed of two retardation films including a half wavelength and a quarter wavelength retardation film. A slow axis of a half .lamda. film which is adjacent to the polarizer makes an angle of .THETA.1 with a transmissive axis of the polarizer and that of a quarter .lamda. film which is adjacent to the substrate glass makes an angle of .THETA.2 where .THETA.2=2.times..THETA.1.+-.45 degree. The retardation films are single-axial films. The specific angle .THETA.1 is one of degree values (15, 75, 105, and 165). In a transmissive type liquid crystal display, a structure of the other panel plate is similar to that of one panel plate and combination to the values (.THETA.1, .THETA.2, .THETA.3, .THETA.4) is one selected from the group consisting of combinations (15, 75, 165, 105), (75,15,105,165), (105,165,75,15), and (165,105,15,75).