Greater Than in LaTeX (>)

Where it is used

The greater-than relation, stating that the left quantity is strictly larger than the right.

In math mode > is a relation symbol and gets relation spacing automatically, so x > 0 needs no manual spaces. It closes strict inequalities such as \lambda_{\max} > 0 or the condition n > N in limit definitions. It should not be used as a closing angle bracket; that is \rangle. In text mode with the older font encoding the character can print as an inverted question mark, so use \textgreater or math mode. Related commands are \geq (or \ge), \gg for much greater, and \ngtr for its negation.

Also listed under: Inequalities & Order, Currency & Finance

Minimal compilable example

Paste this into an empty .tex file and compile it with pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\begin{document}
Greater Than: $>$

\[ \forall \varepsilon > 0 \; \exists N : n > N \implies |a_n| < \varepsilon \]
\end{document}

Related symbols

• Less Than or Equal\leq
• Less Than<
• Greater Than or Equal\geq
• Not Equal\neq
• Approximately Equal\approx
• Equivalent\equiv

Frequently asked questions

How do I write Greater Than in LaTeX?

Type > in math mode, for example $\forall \varepsilon > 0 \; \exists N : n > N \implies |a_n| < \varepsilon$. It works in plain LaTeX without loading any package.

Which package do I need for >?

None. > is part of standard LaTeX, so it compiles with nothing in the preamble but the document class.

Can I use > in text mode, or only in math mode?

Only in math mode. Outside $...$ LaTeX stops with "Missing $ inserted", so write $>$ in running text.