'antieducationist' originates from Modern English, specifically the combination of the prefix 'anti-' and the noun 'educationist', where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'educationist' meant 'a proponent or professional of formal education.'

'educationist' was formed in English from 'education' + the agentive suffix '-ist' (a person associated with or practicing something) in the 19th–20th century; 'education' itself comes from Latin 'educatio'/'educare'. The compound 'antieducationist' is a later, descriptive coinage built from these elements.

Initially, the components signified 'against (the) educationist(s)'—i.e., opposition to proponents or systems of organized education—but usage can broaden to mean opposition to institutional schooling or formal education in general.