'antihierarchy' originates from Modern English, specifically from the prefix 'anti-' and the noun 'hierarchy', where 'anti-' comes from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against' and 'hierarchy' comes from Greek 'hierarkhia' (from 'hieros' meaning 'sacred' + 'arkhos' meaning 'ruler').

'hierarchy' entered English via Latin and Old French (from Greek 'hierarkhia'), originally referring to the rule of priests; the productive English prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-') combined with nouns to form oppositional compounds in Modern English, producing compounds like 'antihierarchy' to mean opposition to hierarchical order.

Initially, 'hierarchy' referred specifically to a sacred or priestly order; over time it broadened to mean any ranked or graded system of authority. Combined with 'anti-', the compound now denotes opposition to ranked authority or hierarchical organization.