'animadversional' originates from English formation using the noun 'animadversion' plus the adjectival suffix '-al', ultimately from Latin, specifically Late Latin 'animadversiō' from Latin 'animadvertere,' where 'anima' meant 'mind/spirit,' 'ad-' meant 'toward,' and 'vertere' meant 'to turn.'

'animadvertere' in Latin yielded Late Latin 'animadversiō' (“notice; censure”), which passed into English as 'animadversion' (Early Modern English). English then formed the adjective 'animadversional' by adding '-al,' producing the modern English word.

Initially, the Latin root meant “to turn one’s mind toward; notice; censure.” In English, the adjective narrowed to the sense “pertaining to criticism or censure.”