'anti-moralism' originates from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') combined with 'moralism' (from 'moral' + '-ism'); 'moral' entered English via Old French from Latin 'moralis' (related to 'mos' meaning 'custom').

'moral' came into English from Old French 'moral' and Latin 'moralis' (ultimately from Latin 'mos'/'moris' meaning 'custom'). The suffix '-ism' formed 'moralism' in English to denote a doctrine or practice of moralizing; 'anti-' (Greek) was then prefixed in modern English to form 'anti-moralism'.

Initially, 'moralism' referred to adherence to or the practice of imposing moral standards; with the formation of 'anti-moralism' the term came to denote opposition to that practice, especially in contexts like ethics, aesthetics, and cultural criticism.