C++ Operator Precedence

 

C++

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Thread support library (C++11)

 

C++ language

General topics
Preprocessor Comments Keywords	ASCII chart Escape sequences History of C++
Flow control
Conditional execution statements
if statement	switch statement
Iteration statements
for loop range-for loop (C++11)	while loop do-while loop
Jump statements
continue statement break statement	goto statement return statement
Functions
function declaration
lambda function declaration
function template
inline specifier
exception specifications (deprecated)
noexcept specifier (C++11)
Exceptions
throw expression	try-catch block
Namespaces
namespace declaration	namespace aliases
Types
fundamental types compound types enumeration types	union types function types
decltype specifier (C++11)
Specifiers
cv specifiers
storage duration specifiers
constexpr specifier (C++11)
auto specifier (C++11)
alignas specifier (C++11)
Initialization
default initialization value initialization zero initialization copy initialization direct initialization	aggregate initialization list initialization (C++11) constant initialization reference initialization

Literals
integer literals character literals floating-point literals string literals	boolean literals nullptr (C++11) user-defined (C++11)
Expressions
value categories order of evaluation	operators operator precedence
alternative representations
Utilities
Types
typedef declaration
type alias declaration (C++11)
attributes (C++11)
Casts
implicit conversions
const_cast conversion
static_cast conversion
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reinterpret_cast conversion
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Memory allocation
new expression	delete expression
Classes
class declaration this pointer access specifiers	friend specifier initializer lists
Class-specific function properties
virtual function override specifier (C++11) final specifier (C++11)	explicit (C++11) static
Special member functions
default constructor copy constructor move constructor (C++11)	copy assignment move assignment (C++11) destructor
Templates
class template
function template
template specialization
parameter packs (C++11)
Miscellaneous
Inline assembly

 

The following table lists the precedence and associativity of C++ operators. Operators are listed top to bottom, in descending precedence.

Precedence	Operator	Description	Associativity
1	::	Scope resolution	Left-to-right
2	++   --	Suffix/postfix increment and decrement
	()	Function call
	[]	Array subscripting
	.	Element selection by reference
	−>	Element selection through pointer
3	++   --	Prefix increment and decrement	Right-to-left
	+   −	Unary plus and minus
	!   ~	Logical NOT and bitwise NOT
	(type)	Type cast
	*	Indirection (dereference)
	&	Address-of
	sizeof	Size-of
	new, new[]	Dynamic memory allocation
	delete, delete[]	Dynamic memory deallocation
4	.*   ->*	Pointer to member	Left-to-right
5	*   /   %	Multiplication, division, and remainder
6	+   −	Addition and subtraction
7	<<   >>	Bitwise left shift and right shift
8	<   <=	For relational operators < and ≤ respectively
	>   >=	For relational operators > and ≥ respectively
9	==   !=	For relational = and ≠ respectively
10	&	Bitwise AND
11	^	Bitwise XOR (exclusive or)
12	|	Bitwise OR (inclusive or)
13	&&	Logical AND
14	||	Logical OR
15	?:	Ternary conditional	Right-to-left
	=	Direct assignment (provided by default for C++ classes)
	+=   −=	Assignment by sum and difference
	*=   /=   %=	Assignment by product, quotient, and remainder
	<<=   >>=	Assignment by bitwise left shift and right shift
	&=   ^=   |=	Assignment by bitwise AND, XOR, and OR
16	throw	Throw operator (for exceptions)
17	,	Comma	Left-to-right

When parsing an expression, an operator which is listed on some row will be bound tighter (as if by parentheses) to its arguments than any operator that is listed on a row further below it. For example, the expressions std::cout<<a&b and *p++ are parsed as (std::cout<<a)&b and *(p++), and not as std::cout<<(a&b) or (*p)++.

Operators that are in the same cell (there may be several rows of operators listed in a cell) are evaluated with the same precedence, in the given direction. For example, the expression a=b=c is parsed as a=(b=c), and not as (a=b)=c because of right-to-left associativity.

An operator's precedence is unaffected by overloading.

Notes

The standard itself doesn't specify precedence levels. They are derived from the grammar.

const_cast, static_cast, dynamic_cast, reinterpret_cast and typeid are not included since they are never ambiguous.

Some of the operators have alternate spellings (e.g., and for &&, or for ||, not for !, etc.).

See also

Order of evaluation of operator arguments at run time.

Common operators
assignment	increment decrement	arithmetic	logical	comparison	member access	other
a = b a = rvalue a += b a -= b a *= b a /= b a %= b a &= b a |= b a ^= b a <<= b a >>= b	++a --a a++ a--	+a -a a + b a - b a * b a / b a % b ~a a & b a | b a ^ b a << b a >> b	!a a && b a || b	a == b a != b a < b a > b a <= b a >= b	a[b] *a &a a->b a.b a->*b a.*b	a(...) a, b (type) a ? :
Special operators
static_cast converts one type to another compatible type dynamic_cast converts virtual base class to derived class const_cast converts type to compatible type with different cv qualifiers reinterpret_cast converts type to incompatible type new allocates memory delete deallocates memory sizeof queries the size of a type sizeof... queries the size of a parameter pack (since C++11) typeid queries the type information of a type noexcept checks if an expression can throw an exception (since C++11) alignof queries alignment requirements of a type (since C++11)