'antiascetic' originates from Modern English, formed by the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'antí', meaning 'against') combined with 'ascetic' (from Greek 'asketikos').

'ascetic' came into English via Late Latin 'asceticus' from Greek 'asketikos' (from 'asketēs' meaning 'one who exercises or practices self-discipline'); the compound 'anti-ascetic' (later written as 'antiascetic') developed in Modern English by prefixing 'anti-' to 'ascetic'.

Initially the elements meant 'against' + 'one who practices self-discipline'; over time the compound came to mean broadly 'opposed to asceticism' or 'rejecting ascetic practices', and it is used descriptively of attitudes or tendencies rather than technical religious labels.