'anti-vaccination' is a compound of the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'antí', meaning 'against') and 'vaccination' (from 'vaccine', ultimately from Latin 'vacca' meaning 'cow', via New Latin 'vacca' > 'vaccina' used in 'variolae vaccinae' by Edward Jenner).

The element 'vaccine' was coined in the late 18th century from New Latin 'vaccina' (related to 'vacca' 'cow') due to the use of cowpox material; 'vaccination' followed as the noun for the procedure. The compound 'anti-vaccination' emerged in the 19th century to describe opposition to vaccination campaigns (initially smallpox vaccination) and later generalized to opposition to vaccines more broadly.

Initially used specifically to describe opposition to early smallpox vaccination programs, the term's meaning broadened over time to refer to opposition to vaccination in general and related movements.