'antievangelical' originates from Modern English, formed by the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'antí', meaning 'against') added to 'evangelical' (from Greek 'euangelion', meaning 'good news').

'evangelical' comes from Greek 'euangelion' → Late Latin 'evangelium' → Old French/Medieval Latin forms → Middle English 'evangelical'; the prefix 'anti-' entered English via Latin/French from Greek 'antí'; 'antievangelical' is a Modern English compound of 'anti-' + 'evangelical'.

Initially, 'evangelical' meant 'pertaining to the gospel' ('good news'), but over time it came to denote a particular Protestant movement; therefore 'antievangelical' evolved to mean specifically 'opposed to evangelicalism' rather than broadly 'against the gospel'.