rentav

Definition & meaning

Rentav is an adverb meaning “even,” “indeed,” or “actually.” It emphasizes that something is more surprising, extreme, or significant than expected.

• Det var svårt, rentav omöjligt. — It was difficult, even impossible.
• Hon blev rentav glad. — She actually became happy.

Grammar & Word origin

Rentav is an adverb and does not change form. It developed from the words ren ↗, meaning “pure” or “clean,” and av ↗, meaning “of” or “off.” Its present meaning is emphatic rather than literal.

Synonyms & antonyms

• till och med ↗ — “even”; a common alternative that can emphasize a surprising addition or extreme case.
• rent ut sagt ↗ — “frankly” or “to put it plainly”; emphasizes directness, whereas rentav emphasizes degree or surprise.
• faktiskt ↗ — “actually” or “in fact”; emphasizes that something is true, but does not always convey the same sense of an extreme case.

There is no straightforward antonym.