'anti-tobacco' is a compound formed from the prefix 'anti-' and the noun 'tobacco'. 'Anti-' comes from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against' (via Latin and Old French into English). 'Tobacco' entered English from Spanish 'tabaco', ultimately from a Taíno (Arawakan) word for rolled tobacco leaves or the smoking pipe.

'anti-' entered English as a productive prefix meaning 'against' from Greek through Latin and Old French. 'Tobacco' was borrowed into English in the 16th century from Spanish 'tabaco' (from Taíno). The compound 'anti-tobacco' developed in modern English usage in the 20th century alongside public-health movements opposing smoking and promoting tobacco control.

Initially the parts kept their original senses—'anti-' meaning 'against' and 'tobacco' naming the plant/product—but combined the term came to specifically denote opposition to tobacco use or policies to restrict it; this specific public-health sense became prominent in the 20th century.