'antitraditional' originates from Modern English, formed by the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') attached to the adjective 'traditional' (from Latin 'traditio' via Old French 'tradition', ultimately from Latin 'tradere' meaning 'to hand over').

'traditional' changed from Latin 'traditio' to Old French 'tradition' and entered Middle English as 'tradition'; the adjective 'traditional' developed from this, and in Modern English the prefix 'anti-' was added to create 'antitraditional'.

Initially the elements meant 'against that which is handed down', and over time the compound came to mean broadly 'opposed to tradition or tradition-based practices'.