'anti-' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'anti' meaning 'against, opposite', brought into English via Latin and Old French; 'white' originates from Old English 'hwit' (from Proto-Germanic *hwītaz) meaning 'bright, pale, white'.

'anti-' was adopted into English as a combining form to indicate opposition (e.g. anti-social); 'white' evolved from Old English 'hwit' to the modern word 'white'. The compound 'anti-white' is a modern coinage formed by combining the prefix 'anti-' with 'white' to denote opposition to white people.

The components originally meant 'against' and 'bright/pale' respectively; combined in modern usage the compound came to mean 'opposed to white people' (a sociopolitical descriptor of hostility or prejudice).