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What is an enum class (scoped enum) and why is it preferred? How do you assign specific values to enumerators? What is the difference between an enum and a set of #define constants? How do you specify the underlying type of an enum? How do you convert between an enum class and its underlying integer? Can you forward declare an enum, and what are the rules? What are the scoping and name-collision advantages of enum class? How do you implement type-safe bit flags with enum class? How can you convert an enum to a string (reflection limitations)?
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What is an enumeration (enum) in C++?

Beginner

Answer

An enum defines a type with a set of named integer constants (enumerators), improving readability over magic numbers. Unscoped enums (enum Color { Red, Green };) put the names in the enclosing scope and implicitly convert to int; scoped enums (enum class) are safer and preferred in modern C++.
enum Color { Red, Green, Blue };
Color c = Green;
Real-world example Named enumerators replace magic numbers for states, making the code self-documenting.

Common follow-ups: What is the default underlying type? | Do enumerators convert to int?

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