'anti-strike' is formed from the prefix 'anti-' plus the noun 'strike'. 'Anti-' comes ultimately from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against' (via Latin/Old French use as a combining form), and 'strike' (in the sense of a work stoppage) is the modern English noun 'strike'.

'strike' as a verb/verb-root goes back to Old English (for example 'strīcan' originally meaning 'to stroke' or 'to move'), while the modern sense of 'strike' meaning 'work stoppage' developed in the 19th century; the combining prefix 'anti-' has been used in English since the 17th–18th centuries to form compounds. The compound 'anti-strike' arose in modern English (primarily 20th century) to describe opposition to strikes.

The elements originally meant 'against' (anti-) and 'work stoppage' (strike); when combined, they came to mean 'opposed to strikes' or 'measures to prevent/undermine strikes', a usage that reflects a straightforward combination of the parts.