'anticonventionalism' originates from English, specifically the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') combined with the noun 'conventionalism' (from 'convention' + '-ism'), where 'convention' traces to Latin 'conventio' meaning 'a coming together' and '-ism' denotes a doctrine or practice.

'convention' comes from Latin 'conventio' ('a coming together'), passed into Old French as 'convention' and then into Middle English; the suffix '-ism' entered English via Latin and French (Greek '-ismos' -> Latin '-ismus' -> French '-isme'), and the productive prefix 'anti-' (Greek) was attached in modern English to form 'anticonventionalism'.

Initially, the elements referred simply to 'against conventions' (literal opposition to 'coming together' practices), and over time this became a noun denoting the broader doctrine or tendency of opposing social conventions.