'autonegation' originates from Greek and Latin, specifically the Greek element 'auto-' (from 'autos') and the Latin-derived noun 'negation' (from 'negatio'), where 'auto-' meant 'self' and 'negare' meant 'to deny'.

'autonegation' is a modern English compound formed by combining the Greek prefix 'auto-' with the Latin-derived English noun 'negation'; it is a modern hybrid formation rather than a medieval inherited word.

Initially it meant 'a denying of the self' in literal or philosophical contexts, and over time it has been used more broadly to mean 'self-negation' or an internal self-contradiction.