Abstract: This invention relates to an STN liquid crystal display device and a retardation means, in which coloring caused by wavelength dependency of a birefringent effect is compensated for and decolored by using a novel combination of retardation films. At least a pair of retardation films manufactured by stretching a polymeric film and having positive and negative intrinsic birefringence values are arranged such that their main stretching directions cross each other. Coloring is decolored and at the same time viewing angle dependency of display is minimized by this arrangement. Decolored black-and-white display having small viewing angle dependency can be obtained, bright display with less light absorption is realized, and the thickness of the display device can be decreased.