'antineutrality' originates from 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti') and 'neutrality' (from French 'neutralité' ultimately from Latin), where 'anti-' meant 'against' and the Latin root 'neuter' meant 'neither (of two)'.

'antineutrality' formed in modern English by combining the prefix 'anti-' with the noun 'neutrality'. 'Neutrality' derives from Middle French 'neutralité' and earlier Late Latin 'neutralis' (from Latin 'neuter'), which developed into English 'neutral' and then 'neutrality'; the prefix 'anti-' has been productive in English since the 17th–18th centuries, producing compounds like 'antimilitarism' and later 'antineutrality'.

Initially, the root 'neuter' meant 'neither of two'; 'neutral' and 'neutrality' came to mean 'not taking sides' or 'impartiality.' 'Antineutrality' therefore evolved to mean 'opposition to neutrality' or 'a tendency to reject impartiality.'