'antipatriotic' originates from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') combined with 'patriotic' (from 'patriot' + suffix '-ic'), where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'patriotic' related to 'of one's country' (love of country).

'antipatriotic' was formed in modern English by adding the prefix 'anti-' to 'patriotic' (itself ultimately from Greek 'patriōtēs' via Latin/Old French and Middle English), and it entered English usage as a negated form of 'patriotic' in the 19th century.

Initially, 'patriot' meant 'a fellow-countryman' and 'patriotic' meant 'having love or devotion to one's country'; with the addition of 'anti-' the compound came to mean 'against that love or devotion' and retains the meaning 'opposed to one's country' in modern usage.