'Anglophobic' originates from a Modern English formation combining the prefix 'Anglo-' (from Latin 'Anglia' meaning 'England') and the Greek-derived suffix '-phobic' (from Greek 'phobos'), where 'phobos' meant 'fear'.

'Anglophobic' was formed by combining the element 'Anglo-' (ultimately from Old English/Latin references to the Angles/England) with the productive English/Greek suffix '-phobic' (modeled on words like 'xenophobic'); such formations became common in the 19th–20th centuries.

Initially it literally meant 'fear of the English/England'; over time the sense has remained but often includes strong dislike or hostility as well as fear.