'antiracist' originates from English, formed by the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'antí') where 'anti-' meant 'against', combined with 'racist' (from 'race' + suffix '-ist').

'antiracist' developed in English by combining 'anti-' and 'racist' in the 20th century as social and political movements opposed racial discrimination; 'racist' itself comes from 'race' (French 'race', from Italian 'razza').

Initially and still primarily, it meant 'against racial discrimination'; over time the term has broadened to cover opposition to both individual prejudice and systemic or institutional forms of racism.