'antigovernment' originates from Modern English, formed by the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') combined with 'government' (from Old French 'governement', ultimately from Latin 'gubernare' meaning 'to steer or govern').

'government' changed from Old French 'governement' (from Latin 'gubernare') into Middle English forms and eventually became the modern English word 'government'. The prefix 'anti-' entered English via Latin and Greek influence and was attached to nouns and adjectives to mean 'against', producing compounds like 'antigovernment'.

Initially, the components meant 'against' + 'the act/authority of governing'; over time the compound came to be used specifically to describe opposition to a particular government or its policies, keeping the core sense of 'against the government'.