'antihero' originates from Modern English, formed as a compound of the Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' and the noun 'hero' (from Greek 'hērōs' via Latin), where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'hērōs' meant 'hero'.

'antihero' changed from earlier English uses written as 'anti-hero' in the 19th century (influenced by literary criticism in French and English) and eventually became the modern English word 'antihero'.

Initially, it meant 'someone opposed to or the opposite of a hero,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a protagonist who lacks traditional heroic qualities.'