'antigrowth' originates in Modern English as a compound of the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek anti- 'against', entering English via Latin/French) and the noun 'growth' (from Old English 'growþ' / 'growan', meaning 'the act or process of growing').

'growth' developed from Old English 'growþ' (from the verb 'growan') into Middle English 'growth'; the productive prefix 'anti-' (from Greek) has been combined with nouns in Modern English to form compounds such as 'anti-growth' and the unhyphenated 'antigrowth'.

Initially the elements literally meant 'against' + 'the act of growing'; over time the compound has come to be used particularly to describe opposition to economic, urban, or organizational expansion (e.g., 'anti-growth policies').