'anti-disciplinarian' originates from Modern English, formed by the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek via Latin meaning 'against') + 'disciplinarian' (from 'discipline' + the agentive suffix '-arian').

'disciplinarian' comes from 'discipline' (Latin 'disciplina' meaning 'instruction, learning, training') with the addition of the suffix '-arian' to indicate a person; 'anti-' was later prefixed in Modern English to signal opposition, forming 'anti-disciplinarian.'

Initially the elements meant 'against' + 'one concerned with discipline'; over time the compound has come to mean either a person opposed to strict disciplinary methods or an adjective describing such opposition.