'anti-ministerialist' originates from Modern English, specifically the combination of the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', where 'anti-' meant 'against') and 'ministerialist' (derived from 'minister' with the agent/stance-forming suffixes).

'minister' originates from Latin 'minister' ('servant, attendant'), which passed into Medieval Latin and Old French and produced Middle English 'minister' and the adjective 'ministerial'; 'ministerialist' developed from these formations in English, and the compound 'anti-ministerialist' was formed by adding the prefix 'anti-'.

Initially the elements referred to opposition to ministers or ministerial rule ('against ministers/ministerialism'); over time the compound has retained that core meaning and is used to describe personal or political opposition to ministerial authority.