'antischolastic' originates from Greek and Latin elements: the prefix 'anti-' (Greek 'anti') meaning 'against', combined with 'scholastic' from Latin 'scholasticus' (from Greek 'scholastikos'), where 'scholastikos' is derived from 'schole' meaning 'school' or 'leisure'.

'antischolastic' developed in modern English as a compound of the Greek prefix 'anti-' and the adjective 'scholastic' (via Latin 'scholasticus' from Greek 'scholastikos'); 'scholastic' itself entered English via Latin and Old French, and the full compound appears in usage from the 19th–20th century onward to describe opposition to scholasticism or schooling.

Initially, compounds of 'anti-' + 'scholastic' primarily signified opposition to medieval Scholasticism; over time the sense broadened to include general opposition to formal or institutional schooling and conventional academic practices.