'anti-hierarchy' originates from modern English, combining the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') and 'hierarchy' (from Greek 'hierarkhia', where 'hier-' meant 'sacred' and 'arkhos' meant 'leader').

'hierarchy' came into English via Late Latin 'hierarchia' from Greek 'hierarkhia' and developed in Middle English as 'hierarchy', while 'anti-' has been used in English since the 17th century as a productive prefix meaning 'against', leading to the modern compound 'anti-hierarchy'.

Initially, 'hierarchy' referred to 'sacred rule' or ecclesiastical order in Greek usage, but over time it broadened to mean any 'system of ranked authority'; 'anti-hierarchy' therefore encodes opposition to that later meaning of ranked authority.