'anticlericalist' originates from Modern English, formed from 'anticlerical' + the agent suffix '-ist', where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'clerical' related to 'cleric' or the clergy.

'anticlerical' itself was borrowed into English from French 'anticlérical' (late 19th century) during periods of political conflict over church influence; 'clerical' comes from Old French 'clerical' and Latin 'clericalis', from Late Latin 'clericus' (meaning 'clergyman'), ultimately from Greek 'klērikos'. The modern English 'anticlericalist' developed by adding '-ist' to denote a person holding anticlerical views.

Initially, the term referred specifically to opponents of clerical political power (particularly in 19th-century Europe); over time it has broadened to mean anyone who opposes the clergy's influence in political, social, or cultural matters.