'antinovelist' originates from modern English compound elements: the prefix 'anti' (from Greek 'antí', meaning 'against') + 'novel' (ultimately from Italian 'novella' and Latin 'novellus', meaning 'new') + the agent suffix '-ist' (from Greek/Latin, meaning 'one who').

'antinovelist' was formed in modern English by combining 'anti-' with 'novelist' (itself from 'novel' + '-ist'); the compound construction follows English word-formation patterns and appears in usage from the late 19th to 20th century as a descriptive term rather than a longstanding inherited word.

Initially, the components meant 'against' + 'new' + 'one who'; as a compound, 'antinovelist' has meant 'a person opposed to novels' since its coinage and has retained that specific sense.