There is provided an organic compound having excellent characteristics, including excellent electron-injecting/transporting performance, hole blocking ability, and high stability in the thin-film state, for use as material of an organic electroluminescent device having high efficiency and high durability. There is also provided a high-efficient and high-durable organic electroluminescent device using the compound. The compound is represented by general formula (1) having a substituted anthracene ring structure and a pyridoindole ring structure. The organic electroluminescent device includes a pair of electrodes, and one or more organic layers sandwiched between the pair of electrodes, and the compound is used as a constituent material of at least one organic layer.