'anti-pragmatist' originates from the Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' meaning 'against' and the noun 'pragmatist', which ultimately derives from Greek 'pragma' meaning 'deed' or 'act' (via Modern Latin/French and English formations).

'pragmatist' developed from 'pragmatism' (coined in English in the late 19th century from Greek 'pragma' through philosophical usage), and the English productive prefix 'anti-' was attached to form 'anti-pragmatist' to denote opposition to that stance.

Initially, the parts meant 'against' + 'one who follows pragmatism', and over time the compound has come to denote generally 'someone or something opposed to pragmatic approaches' in both philosophical and everyday contexts.