'antiorgastic' originates from Greek and English components: the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-') meaning 'against' and the adjective-forming element related to 'orgastic' ultimately from Greek 'orgasmos', where 'orgasmos' meant 'a swelling or excitement'.

'orgasmos' (Greek) passed into Late Latin/Medieval Latin as 'orgasmus' and into English as 'orgasm' (from the 17th century). The adjective 'orgastic/orgasmic' developed from that root, and in modern English the prefix 'anti-' combined with 'orgastic' to produce 'antiorgastic' (used in 20th-century sexological and clinical contexts).

Originally the Greek root 'orgasmos' meant 'to swell' or 'be excited'; over time it narrowed to mean 'sexual climax' in English. 'Antiorgastic' therefore came to mean 'against or inhibiting orgasm' in contemporary usage.