'anti-novel' originates from a combination of the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') and the noun 'novel' (from Old French 'novel', ultimately from Latin 'novellus', where 'novus' meant 'new').

'anti-novel' emerged in 20th-century literary discourse (often influenced by the French term 'anti-roman'), used to describe works associated with experimental movements such as the Nouveau Roman, and entered English as a compound describing novels that oppose traditional form.

Initially used as a descriptive label for works opposing conventional novels, the term evolved to denote a recognized tendency or movement in modern literature that deliberately subverts novelistic norms.