'anti-mandate' originates as a modern English compound combining the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') with the noun 'mandate' (from Latin 'mandatum' meaning 'an order' or 'command').

'anti-' comes from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against'. 'Mandate' derives from Latin 'mandatum' (past participle of 'mandare', 'to entrust/command'), passed into Old French as 'mandat' and then into Middle/Modern English as 'mandate'. The compound 'anti-mandate' is a recent coinage, gaining prominence in public and political discourse in the late 20th and early 21st century (notably around the COVID-19 pandemic era).

The elements originally meant 'against' and 'order/command'; combined, the modern term specifically denotes opposition to imposed orders or requirements (often public-health or workplace mandates).