'anti-ceremonial' originates from a combination of the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') and the adjective 'ceremonial' (from Latin 'ceremonia' via Old French), where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'ceremonial' related to 'ritual' or 'formal rite'.

'anti-ceremonial' was formed in Modern English by attaching the Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' to the existing adjective 'ceremonial'. The element 'ceremonial' itself evolved from Latin 'ceremonia' through Old French forms such as 'ceremonie' and Middle English 'ceremonie' to modern English 'ceremonial'.

Initially, the compound literally meant 'against ceremony' and over time has been used to describe attitudes or styles that reject ceremonial formality; this core sense has largely been maintained.