'anti-empirical' originates from combining the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek) and the adjective 'empirical' (from Greek via Latin and French). Specifically, 'anti-' originates from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against', and 'empirical' ultimately comes from Greek 'empeiria'/'empeirikos' meaning 'experience' or 'experienced'.

'anti-empirical' is a modern English compound formed by joining 'anti-' + 'empirical'. 'Empirical' passed into English via Latin 'empiricus' and Middle French 'empirique' from Greek 'empeirikos'; the prefix 'anti-' has been used in English since Classical borrowings. The compound itself appears in modern English usage (chiefly 19th–20th century onward) to describe opposition to empiricism or empirical methods.

Initially the parts meant 'against' (anti-) and 'based on experience' (empirical); combined, the compound came to mean 'against or rejecting reliance on experience/evidence', used to critique methods or attitudes that dismiss empirical evidence.