Ceiling in a sorted array
Last Updated :
23 Jul, 2025
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Given a sorted array and a value x, find index of the ceiling of x. The ceiling of x is the smallest element in an array greater than or equal to x.
Note: In case of multiple occurrences of ceiling of x, return the index of the first occurrence.
Examples :
Input:
arr[] = [1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19], x = 5
Output:2
Explanation: Smallest number greater than 5 is 8, whose index is 2.Input:
arr[] = [1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19], x = 20
Output:-1
Explanation: No element greater than 20 is found. So output is -1.Input:
arr[] = [1, 1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19], x = 0
Output:0
Explanation: Smallest number greater than 0 is 1, whose indices are 0 and 1. The index of the first occurrence is 0.
Try it on GfG Practice 
[Naive Method] - Linear Search - O(n) Time and O(1) Space
- If x is smaller than or equal to the first element in the array then return 0(index of the first element).
- Else linearly search for an index i such that x lies between arr[i] and arr[i+1].
- If we do not find an index i in step 2, then return -1.
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;
/* Function to get index of ceiling of x in arr */
int ceilSearch(vector<int>& arr, int x)
{
/* If x is smaller than or equal to first element,
then return the first element */
if(x <= arr[0])
return 0;
/* Otherwise, linearly search for ceil value */
for(int i = 0; i < arr.size() - 1; i++)
{
if(arr[i] == x)
return i;
/* if x lies between arr[i] and arr[i+1] including
arr[i+1], then return arr[i+1] */
if(arr[i] < x && arr[i+1] >= x)
return i+1;
}
/* If we reach here then x is greater than the last element
of the array, return -1 in this case */
return -1;
}
/* Driver code*/
int main()
{
vector<int> arr = {1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19};
int x = 3;
int index = ceilSearch(arr, x);
if(index == -1)
cout << "Ceiling of " << x << " doesn't exist in array ";
else
cout << "ceiling of " << x << " is " << arr[index];
return 0;
}
using namespace std;/* Function to get index of ceiling of x in arr */int ceilSearch(vector<int>& arr, int x) { /* If x is smaller than or equal to first element, then return the first element */ if(x <= arr[0]) return 0; /* Otherwise, linearly search for ceil value */ for(int i = 0; i < arr.size() - 1; i++) { if(arr[i] == x) return i; /* if x lies between arr[i] and arr[i+1] including arr[i+1], then return arr[i+1] */ if(arr[i] < x && arr[i+1] >= x) return i+1; } /* If we reach here then x is greater than the last element of the array, return -1 in this case */ return -1; } /* Driver code*/int main() { vector<int> arr = {1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19}; int x = 3; int index = ceilSearch(arr, x); if(index == -1) cout << "Ceiling of " << x << " doesn't exist in array "; else cout << "ceiling of " << x << " is " << arr[index]; return 0; }#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
/* Function to get index of ceiling of x in arr */
int ceilSearch(int arr[], int n, int x)
{
/* If x is smaller than or equal to first element,
then return the first element */
if(x <= arr[0])
return 0;
/* Otherwise, linearly search for ceil value */
for(int i = 0; i < n - 1; i++)
{
if(arr[i] == x)
return i;
/* if x lies between arr[i] and arr[i+1] including
arr[i+1], then return arr[i+1] */
if(arr[i] < x && arr[i+1] >= x)
return i+1;
}
/* If we reach here then x is greater than the last element
of the array, return -1 in this case */
return -1;
}
/* Driver code*/
int main()
{
int arr[] = {1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19};
int n = sizeof(arr) / sizeof(arr[0]);
int x = 3;
int index = ceilSearch(arr, n, x);
if(index == -1)
printf("Ceiling of %d doesn't exist in array ", x);
else
printf("ceiling of %d is %d", x, arr[index]);
return 0;
}
import java.util.Arrays;
/* Function to get index of ceiling of x in arr */
class GfG {
static int ceilSearch(int[] arr, int x)
{
/* If x is smaller than or equal to first element,
then return the first element */
if(x <= arr[0])
return 0;
/* Otherwise, linearly search for ceil value */
for(int i = 0; i < arr.length - 1; i++)
{
if(arr[i] == x)
return i;
/* if x lies between arr[i] and arr[i+1] including
arr[i+1], then return arr[i+1] */
if(arr[i] < x && arr[i+1] >= x)
return i+1;
}
/* If we reach here then x is greater than the last element
of the array, return -1 in this case */
return -1;
}
/* Driver code*/
public static void main(String[] args)
{
int[] arr = {1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19};
int x = 3;
int index = ceilSearch(arr, x);
if(index == -1)
System.out.println("Ceiling of " + x + " doesn't exist in array ");
else
System.out.println("ceiling of " + x + " is " + arr[index]);
}
}
# Function to get index of ceiling of x in arr
def ceil_search(arr, x):
# If x is smaller than or equal to first element,
# then return the first element
if x <= arr[0]:
return 0
# Otherwise, linearly search for ceil value
for i in range(len(arr) - 1):
if arr[i] == x:
return i
# if x lies between arr[i] and arr[i+1] including
# arr[i+1], then return arr[i+1]
if arr[i] < x and arr[i + 1] >= x:
return i + 1
# If we reach here then x is greater than the last element
# of the array, return -1 in this case
return -1
# Driver code
arr = [1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19]
x = 3
index = ceil_search(arr, x)
if index == -1:
print(f"Ceiling of {x} doesn't exist in array")
else:
print(f"Ceiling of {x} is {arr[index]}")
using System;
using System.Linq;
class Program
{
/* Function to get index of ceiling of x in arr */
static int CeilSearch(int[] arr, int x)
{
/* If x is smaller than or equal to first element,
then return the first element */
if(x <= arr[0])
return 0;
/* Otherwise, linearly search for ceil value */
for(int i = 0; i < arr.Length - 1; i++)
{
if(arr[i] == x)
return i;
/* if x lies between arr[i] and arr[i+1] including
arr[i+1], then return arr[i+1] */
if(arr[i] < x && arr[i + 1] >= x)
return i + 1;
}
/* If we reach here then x is greater than the last element
of the array, return -1 in this case */
return -1;
}
/* Driver code*/
static void Main()
{
int[] arr = {1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19};
int x = 3;
int index = CeilSearch(arr, x);
if(index == -1)
Console.WriteLine($"Ceiling of {x} doesn't exist in array");
else
Console.WriteLine($"ceiling of {x} is {arr[index]}");
}
}
// Function to get index of ceiling of x in arr
function ceilSearch(arr, x) {
// If x is smaller than or equal to first element,
// then return the first element
if (x <= arr[0]) return 0;
// Otherwise, linearly search for ceil value
for (let i = 0; i < arr.length - 1; i++) {
if (arr[i] === x) return i;
// if x lies between arr[i] and arr[i+1] including
// arr[i+1], then return arr[i+1]
if (arr[i] < x && arr[i + 1] >= x) return i + 1;
}
// If we reach here then x is greater than the last element
// of the array, return -1 in this case
return -1;
}
// Driver code
const arr = [1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19];
const x = 3;
const index = ceilSearch(arr, x);
if (index === -1) {
console.log(`Ceiling of ${x} doesn't exist in array`);
} else {
console.log(`Ceiling of ${x} is ${arr[index]}`);
}
Output
ceiling of 3 is 8
[Expected Approach] - Binary Search - O(Log n) Time and O(1) Space
Since the input array is sorted, we can use binary search.
- Find the mid point.
- Else If arr[mid] < x, go to the right side
- Else (arr[mid] >= x), we found a potential candidate for ceiling. Go to the left side and try finding a smaller value which is greater than or equal to x.
Let us understand the approach with an example
arr = [1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19] , x = 3
Initial: lo = 0, hi = 6, mid = 3 → arr[3] = 10 (res = 10, Move Left)
Step 2: lo = 0, hi = 2, mid = 1 → arr[1] = 2 (Move Right)
Step 3: lo = 2, hi = 2, mid = 2 → arr[2] = 8 (res = 8, Move Left)
Final: lo > hi, return res = 2
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;
/* Function to find the ceiling of x using
binary search */
int ceilSearch(vector<int>& arr, int x) {
int lo = 0, hi = arr.size() - 1, res = -1;
while (lo <= hi) {
int mid = lo + (hi - lo) / 2;
if (arr[mid] < x)
lo = mid + 1;
else { // Potential ceiling found
res = mid;
hi = mid - 1;
}
}
return res;
}
int main() {
vector<int> arr = {1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19};
int x = 3;
int index = ceilSearch(arr, x);
if (index == -1)
cout << "Ceiling of " << x << " doesn't exist in array";
else
cout << "Ceiling of " << x << " is " << arr[index];
return 0;
}
using namespace std;/* Function to find the ceiling of x using binary search */int ceilSearch(vector<int>& arr, int x) { int lo = 0, hi = arr.size() - 1, res = -1; while (lo <= hi) { int mid = lo + (hi - lo) / 2; if (arr[mid] < x) lo = mid + 1; else { // Potential ceiling found res = mid; hi = mid - 1; } } return res; }int main() { vector<int> arr = {1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19}; int x = 3; int index = ceilSearch(arr, x); if (index == -1) cout << "Ceiling of " << x << " doesn't exist in array"; else cout << "Ceiling of " << x << " is " << arr[index]; return 0;}#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
/* Function to find the ceiling of x using
binary search */
int ceilSearch(int arr[], int n, int x) {
int lo = 0, hi = n - 1, res = -1;
while (lo <= hi) {
int mid = lo + (hi - lo) / 2;
if (arr[mid] < x)
lo = mid + 1;
else { // Potential ceiling found
res = mid;
hi = mid - 1;
}
}
return res;
}
int main() {
int arr[] = {1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19};
int n = sizeof(arr) / sizeof(arr[0]);
int x = 3;
int index = ceilSearch(arr, n, x);
if (index == -1)
printf("Ceiling of %d doesn't exist in array\n", x);
else
printf("Ceiling of %d is %d\n", x, arr[index]);
return 0;
}
import java.util.Arrays;
public class Main {
/* Function to find the ceiling of x using
binary search */
static int ceilSearch(int[] arr, int x) {
int lo = 0, hi = arr.length - 1, res = -1;
while (lo <= hi) {
int mid = lo + (hi - lo) / 2;
if (arr[mid] < x)
lo = mid + 1;
else { // Potential ceiling found
res = mid;
hi = mid - 1;
}
}
return res;
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
int[] arr = {1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19};
int x = 3;
int index = ceilSearch(arr, x);
if (index == -1)
System.out.println("Ceiling of " + x + " doesn't exist in array");
else
System.out.println("Ceiling of " + x + " is " + arr[index]);
}
}
# Function to find the ceiling of x using binary search
def ceilSearch(arr, x):
lo = 0
hi = len(arr) - 1
res = -1
while lo <= hi:
mid = lo + (hi - lo) // 2
if arr[mid] < x:
lo = mid + 1
else: # Potential ceiling found
res = mid
hi = mid - 1
return res
if __name__ == "__main__":
arr = [1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19]
x = 3
index = ceilSearch(arr, x)
if index == -1:
print(f"Ceiling of {x} doesn't exist in array")
else:
print(f"Ceiling of {x} is {arr[index]}")
using System;
using System.Linq;
class Program {
/* Function to find the ceiling of x using
binary search */
static int CeilSearch(int[] arr, int x) {
int lo = 0, hi = arr.Length - 1, res = -1;
while (lo <= hi) {
int mid = lo + (hi - lo) / 2;
if (arr[mid] < x)
lo = mid + 1;
else { // Potential ceiling found
res = mid;
hi = mid - 1;
}
}
return res;
}
static void Main() {
int[] arr = {1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19};
int x = 3;
int index = CeilSearch(arr, x);
if (index == -1)
Console.WriteLine($"Ceiling of {x} doesn't exist in array");
else
Console.WriteLine($"Ceiling of {x} is {arr[index]}");
}
}
// Function to find the ceiling of x using
// binary search
function ceilSearch(arr, x) {
let lo = 0, hi = arr.length - 1, res = -1;
while (lo <= hi) {
let mid = Math.floor(lo + (hi - lo) / 2);
if (arr[mid] < x)
lo = mid + 1;
else { // Potential ceiling found
res = mid;
hi = mid - 1;
}
}
return res;
}
const arr = [1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19];
const x = 3;
const index = ceilSearch(arr, x);
if (index === -1)
console.log(`Ceiling of ${x} doesn't exist in array`);
else
console.log(`Ceiling of ${x} is ${arr[index]}`);
Output
Ceiling of 3 is 8
Using Library Methods
We can use the following library methods in different languages.
The lower_bound() method in C++, Arrays.binarySearch() in Java and bisect_left() in Python
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
vector<int> arr = { 1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19 };
int n = arr.size();
int x = 8;
auto itr = lower_bound(arr.begin(), arr.end(),x); // returns iterator
int idx = itr - arr.begin(); // converting to index;
if (idx == n) {
cout << "Ceil Element does not exist " << endl;
}
else {
cout << "Ceil Element of " << x << " is " << arr[idx] << endl;
}
return 0;
}
using namespace std;int main(){ vector<int> arr = { 1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19 }; int n = arr.size(); int x = 8; auto itr = lower_bound(arr.begin(), arr.end(),x); // returns iterator int idx = itr - arr.begin(); // converting to index; if (idx == n) { cout << "Ceil Element does not exist " << endl; } else { cout << "Ceil Element of " << x << " is " << arr[idx] << endl; } return 0;}import java.util.Arrays;
class GFG {
public static void main(String[] args)
{
int[] arr = { 1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19 };
int n = arr.length;
int x = 8;
// Use binary search to find the index of the
// ceiling element
int idx = Arrays.binarySearch(arr, x);
if (idx < 0) {
idx = Math.abs(idx) - 1;
}
// Checking if idx is valid
if (idx == n) {
System.out.println(
"Ceiling Element does not exist");
}
else {
System.out.println("Ceiling Element of " + x
+ " is " + arr[idx]);
}
}
}
// This code is contributed by phasing17
from bisect import bisect_left
arr = [1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19]
n = len(arr)
x = 8
# Use bisect to get ceiling element
idx = bisect_left(arr, x)
# Checking if idx is valid
if idx == n:
print("Ceil Element does not exist")
else:
print(f"Ceil Element of {x} is {arr[idx]}")
using System;
public class GFG {
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
int[] arr = { 1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19 };
int n = arr.Length;
int x = 8;
// Use Array.BinarySearch to find the index of the
// ceiling element
int idx = Array.BinarySearch(arr, x);
if (idx < 0) {
idx = Math.Abs(idx) - 1;
}
// Checking if idx is valid
if (idx == n) {
Console.WriteLine(
"Ceiling Element does not exist");
}
else {
Console.WriteLine("Ceiling Element of " + x
+ " is " + arr[idx]);
}
}
}
// This code is contributed by Prasad Kandekar(prasad264)
const arr = [1, 2, 8, 10, 10, 12, 19];
const n = arr.length;
const x = 8;
// Use the Array.findIndex() method to find the index of the
// first element that is greater than or equal to x
let idx = arr.findIndex(val => val >= x);
// Checking if idx is valid
if (idx === -1) {
console.log("Ceiling Element does not exist");
}
else {
console.log(`Ceiling Element of ${x} is ${arr[idx]}`);
}
// This code is contributed by Prasad Kandekar(prasad264)
Output
Ceil Element of 8 is 8
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