'anti-vivisectionist' originates from English, specifically the combination of the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'antí', where 'antí' meant 'against'), the noun 'vivisection' (from elements ultimately traced to Latin 'vivus' meaning 'alive' and Latin 'sectio'/'secare' meaning 'cut/cutting'), and the agent suffix '-ist' (from French '-iste' < Greek suffix '-istēs'), forming a word meaning 'one opposed to vivisection'.

'anti-vivisectionist' developed from the late 19th-century term 'anti-vivisection' (used to describe the movement opposing vivisection) with the addition of the agentive suffix '-ist' to denote a person involved in or supporting that stance; the compound thus became the modern English 'anti-vivisectionist'.

Initially it meant 'a person opposed to vivisection' in the context of 19th- and early 20th-century campaigns; over time the term has retained that sense but has broadened to include opposition to a wider range of animal experimentation practices.