A liquid crystal composition and an AM LCD device containing the same are described. The liquid crystal composition has a negative dielectric anisotropy, contains a specific compound having a negatively large dielectric anisotropy in a specific range of proportion as a first component, and a specific compound having a small viscosity as a second component, and may also contain a specific compound having a high maximum temperature or a small viscosity as a third component, a specific compound having a negative dielectric anisotropy as a fourth component, and/or a specific compound having a polymerizable group as an additive component.