This resist composition is a resist composition containing a compound in which a portion or all of hydrogen atoms of phenolic hydroxyl groups in a polyhydric phenol compound (a) having two or more phenolic hydroxyl groups and having a molecular weight of 300 to 2,500 are substituted with at least one selected from the group consisting of acid dissociable dissolution inhibiting groups represented by the following general formulas (p1) and (p2) wherein R1 and R2 each independently represents a branched or cyclic alkyl group, and may contain a hetero atom in the structure; R3 represents a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group; and n′ represents an integer of 1 to 3.