Disclosed are an organic electroluminescent device (organic EL device) which is improved in luminous efficiency, fully secured of driving stability, and of simple constitution and a compound useful for the fabrication of said organic EL device. The compound for the organic EL device has an indolocarbazole structure or a structure similar thereto in the molecule wherein an aromatic group is bonded to the nitrogen atom in the indolocarbazole. The organic EL device has a light-emitting layer disposed between an anode and a cathode piled one upon another on a substrate and said light-emitting layer comprises a phosphorescent dopant and the aforementioned compound for an organic electroluminescent device as a host material.