A molecular resist composition and a pattern forming process. A molecular resist composition comprising a sulfonium salt having a cation of specific structure and an organic solvent has a high sensitivity and forms a resist film with improved resolution and LWR, when processed by EB or EUV lithography. The molecular resist composition does not contain a base polymer. The molecular resist composition comprising a sulfonium salt having a cation of specific partial structure has a high sensitivity and forms a resist film with improved resolution and LWR, so that the resist composition is quite useful for precise micropatterning.