'Araneoidea' originates from New Latin, specifically formed from the Latin word 'Aranea' (meaning 'spider') combined with the Greek suffix '-oidea', where the suffix '-oidea' meant 'resembling, form'.

'Araneoidea' was coined in modern taxonomic usage by combining Latin 'Aranea' (itself from Ancient Greek 'ἀράχνη' 'Arachne', 'spider') and the Greek-derived suffix '-oidea'; it became established in zoological classification as the name of the superfamily 'Araneoidea'.

Initially it denoted a group of spiders related to the genus/order root 'Aranea', and over time it has remained a technical taxonomic name for the superfamily of orb-weaving and related spiders.