'anti-patriarchal' is built from the prefix 'anti-' and the adjective 'patriarchal'. 'anti-' originates from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against' or 'opposite', and 'patriarchal' derives from 'patriarch', ultimately from Greek 'patriarchēs' (from 'patēr' meaning 'father' + 'archē' meaning 'rule').

'patriarch' comes from Greek 'patriarchēs', passed into Latin and then into Middle English as 'patriark'/'patriarch', from which the adjective 'patriarchal' was formed; the modern compound 'anti-patriarchal' is created by prefixing 'anti-' to that adjective to indicate opposition.

Originally the elements referred literally to 'father' + 'rule' (a 'father-ruler'); the compound 'anti-patriarchal' has come to mean opposition to social systems or norms that grant authority based on male lineage or gender, a sociopolitical stance rather than a literal familial meaning.