'anti-adiaphorist' originates from Modern English, combining the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') with 'adiaphorist' (from Greek 'adiaphora' meaning 'indifferent things' plus the agent suffix '-ist').

'adiaphorist' comes from Greek 'adiaphora' ('a-' meaning 'not' + 'diaphora' meaning 'difference' or 'things different/indifferent'), passed into Latin as 'adiaphora' and later into English theological usage; 'anti-' was prefixed in English to form 'anti-adiaphorist' to denote opposition.

Initially rooted in the Greek term for 'indifferent things,' the compound came to mean specifically 'one who opposes treating certain religious practices as indifferent'; this primary sense has remained stable in theological contexts.