'antimatrimonial' is formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') + 'matrimonial' (from Latin 'matrimonium' meaning 'marriage').

'matrimonial' originates via Old French and Latin from Latin 'matrimonium'; the modern English adjective 'antimatrimonial' is a 19th–20th century coinage using the productive prefix 'anti-' attached to the established adjective 'matrimonial'.

Initially components meant 'against' + 'marriage'; over time the compound has been used in English to describe attitudes, policies, or laws that oppose or discourage marriage.