'anti-household' originates from a combination of the Greek prefix 'anti-' meaning 'against' and the English word 'household' (from Old English elements 'hūs' meaning 'house' and 'heald' meaning 'hold, keeper').

'household' evolved from Old English 'hūs' + 'heald' to Middle English 'houshold' and eventually modern English 'household'; the prefix 'anti-' entered English via Greek through Latin and Old French usages and has been productively combined with English nouns to form adjectives (e.g., 'anti-war', 'anti-establishment'). The compound 'anti-household' is a modern formation following this pattern.

Initially the elements simply meant 'against' + 'household' in a literal sense; over time the compound has come to be used figuratively to describe policies, measures, or attitudes considered harmful or opposed to household interests.