'antiferromagnet' originates from a modern scientific formation that combines the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against' or 'opposite'), 'ferro-' (from Latin 'ferrum' meaning 'iron'), and 'magnet' (from Greek 'magnetēs' meaning 'lodestone' or 'magnet').

'antiferromagnet' was formed in the 20th century by attaching the prefix 'anti-' to 'ferromagnet' (itself from Latin 'ferrum' + Greek 'magnetēs'), producing the modern technical term 'antiferromagnet'.

The term originally described a material showing magnetic ordering opposite to ferromagnetism; it is now used specifically for materials whose neighboring magnetic moments align antiparallel, often characterized by a Néel temperature.