'antiegotist' originates from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') combined with 'egotist' (ultimately from Latin 'ego' meaning 'I' plus the agent suffix '-ist').

'egotist' developed in European languages from Latin 'ego' and French forms such as 'égoïste'/'egoist'; the productive prefix 'anti-' was added in modern English to form compounds (often hyphenated at first, e.g. 'anti-egotist'), and the concatenated form 'antiegotist' is a recent formation following English compounding patterns.

Initially a straightforward compound meaning 'against egotism' or 'opposed to egotists'; as a coined label it now conveys the idea of a person who habitually resists self-promotion and prefers modesty.