'antirevolutionist' originates from Modern English, specifically formed from the prefix 'anti-' + the noun 'revolution' + the agent suffix '-ist'.

'anti-' ultimately comes from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against'; 'revolution' comes via Old French and Latin 'revolutio' (from Latin 'revolvere' meaning 'to roll back' or 'turn'); the suffix '-ist' is an agent-forming element from Greek/Latin used in Modern English. The compound word 'antirevolutionist' developed in English usage as political vocabulary in the 18th–19th centuries.

Initially it denoted 'a person opposed to a specific revolution,' but over time it has been used more broadly to label someone opposed to revolutionary change or radical reform in general.