'anticathexis' originates from German 'Antikathexis', formed from the Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' meaning 'against' and 'cathexis' (from Greek 'kathexis') meaning 'a holding' or 'investment of energy'.

'Antikathexis' was introduced in German psychoanalytic writings (notably by Sigmund Freud) in the early 20th century and was later borrowed into English as 'anticathexis' in psychoanalytic literature.

Initially, it referred specifically to the ego's 'counter-investment' opposing libidinal cathexes; over time the term has retained that technical psychoanalytic sense and remains a specialized term in psychoanalytic theory.