Operator Precedence and Associativity
The C++ language includes all C operators and adds several new operators. Operators specify an evaluation to be performed on one of the following:
One operand (unary operator)
Two operands (binary operator)
Three operands (ternary operator)
Operators follow a strict precedence, which defines the evaluation order of expressions containing these operators. Operators associate with either the expression on their left or the expression on their right; this is called "associativity." The following table shows the precedence and associativity of C++ operators (from highest to lowest precedence). Operators in the same segment of the table have equal precedence and are evaluated in the given order in an expression unless explicitly forced by parentheses.
C++ Operator Precedence and Associativity
| Operator | Name or Meaning | Associativity |
|---|---|---|
:: |
Scope resolution |
None |
.–>[ ]( )( )++––typeid( )const_castdynamic_castreinterpret_caststatic_cast |
Member selection (object) Member selection (pointer) Array subscript Function call member initialization Postfix increment Postfix decrement type name Type cast (conversion) Type cast (conversion) Type cast (conversion) Type cast (conversion) |
Left to right Left to right Left to right Left to right Left to right Left to right Left to right Left to right Left to right Left to right Left to right Left to right |
sizeof++––~!–+&*newdelete() |
Size of object or type Prefix increment Prefix decrement One's complement Logical not Unary minus Unary plus Address-of Indirection Create object Destroy object Cast |
Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left |
.*–>* |
Pointer-to-member (objects) Pointer-to-member (pointers) |
Left to right Left to right |
*/% |
Multiplication Division Modulus |
Left to right Left to right Left to right |
+– |
Addition Subtraction |
Left to right Left to right |
<<>> |
Left shift Right shift |
Left to right Left to right |
<><=>= |
Less than Greater than Less than or equal to Greater than or equal to |
Left to right Left to right Left to right Left to right |
==!= |
Equality Inequality |
Left to right Left to right |
& |
Bitwise AND |
Left to right |
^ |
Bitwise exclusive OR |
Left to right |
| |
Bitwise inclusive OR |
Left to right |
&& |
Logical AND |
Left to right |
|| |
Logical OR |
Left to right |
e1?e2:e3 |
Conditional |
Right to left |
=*=/=%=+=–=<<=>>=&=|=^= |
Assignment Multiplication assignment Division assignment Modulus assignment Addition assignment Subtraction assignment Left-shift assignment Right-shift assignment Bitwise AND assignment Bitwise inclusive OR assignment Bitwise exclusive OR assignment |
Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left Right to left |
throw expr |
throw expression |
Right to left |
, |
Comma |
Left to right |