'anti-team' is a modern compound formed from the Greek prefix 'anti-' and the English word 'team'. 'anti-' originates from Greek 'anti-' where 'anti-' meant 'against', and 'team' originates from Old English 'team' where 'team' meant 'descendants, set (of draft animals) or group'.

'team' changed from Old English 'team' (rendered in some Middle English texts as 'tem' or 'teom') to modern English 'team', shifting its common sense toward 'a group working together'. The prefix 'anti-' entered English via Greek/Late Latin as a combining form and was later used productively in Modern English to form compounds like 'anti-team'.

Initially the compound would have been understood quite literally as 'against a team' (an opposing group). Over time it has also come to describe an attitude or stance opposed to teamwork or collaboration ('anti-team' as an adjective).