'antisabbatarian' originates from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') combined with 'sabbatarian' (from 'Sabbath' + adjectival suffix '-arian').

'antisabbatarian' developed as a compound of 'anti-' + 'Sabbatarian' (hyphenated forms like 'anti-Sabbatarian' appear in 18th–19th century English) where 'Sabbatarian' itself derives from 'Sabbath' (Hebrew 'Shabbat') via Latin 'sabbatum' and ecclesiastical usage.

Initially it referred specifically to opposition to religious Sabbatarian practices or laws; over time it has retained that meaning but is also used more broadly for opposition to strict or legally enforced Sabbath observance.