'antiphilosophic' originates from Greek combining elements: specifically the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'ἀντί') and 'philosophia' (from Greek 'φιλοσοφία'), where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'philosophia' meant 'love of wisdom' (hence relating to 'philosophy').

'philosophia' passed into Latin as 'philosophia', then into Old French (e.g. 'philosophie'), and into Middle English as 'philosophye'/'philosophy'; the adjective 'philosophic'/'philosophical' developed in Late Middle English/early Modern English, and modern English formed 'antiphilosophic' by prefixing Greek 'anti-' to the adjective stem.

Initially formed to mean 'against philosophy' in a literal compositional sense; over time it has been used both for explicit opposition to philosophical doctrines and more generally to describe attitudes or stances that reject or lack philosophical reflection.