Operator Meaning Comments HIGHEST PRECEDENCE var++ var-- post-increment, post-decrement C-style operators ++var --var pre-increment, pre-decrement ! ~ negation logical / bitwise, inverts sense of following operator ** exponentiation arithmetic operation * / % multiplication, division, modulo arithmetic operation + - addition, subtraction arithmetic operation << >> left, right shift bitwise -z -n unary comparison string is/is-not null -e -f -t -x, etc. unary comparison file-test < -lt > -gt <= -le >= -ge compound comparison string and integer -nt -ot -ef compound comparison file-test == -eq != -ne equality / inequality test operators, string and integer & AND bitwise ^ XOR exclusive OR, bitwise | OR bitwise && -a AND logical, compound comparison || -o OR logical, compound comparison ?: trinary operator C-style = assignment (do not confuse with equality test) *= /= %= += -= <<= >>= &= combination assignment times-equal, divide-equal, mod-equal, etc. , comma links a sequence of operations LOWEST PRECEDENCE