'antipopular' originates from English, specifically from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti') meaning 'against' and the adjective 'popular' (from Latin 'popularis') meaning 'of the people'.

'antipopular' developed as a Modern English compound formed by joining 'anti-' and 'popular' (both established elements in English). It has been used sporadically since the 19th–20th century as a descriptive formation rather than as a distinct, widely standardized dictionary headword.

Initially it was used to denote being 'against what is popular' (oppositional sense); over time it has also been used interchangeably with 'unpopular' to describe something lacking popular support.