'counter-educational' is a Modern English compound formed from the prefix 'counter-' (from Latin 'contra' via Old French 'contre', meaning 'against') and 'educational' (from the verb 'educate', ultimately from Latin 'educare').

'counter-' comes from Old French 'contre' (from Late Latin 'contra'), while 'educational' derives from Middle English 'educacioun' / Old French 'educacion', from Latin 'educatio' (from 'educare' / 'educere'). These elements were combined in Modern English to create the compound 'counter-educational'.

The parts originally carried the literal senses 'against' + 'relating to educating'; assembled, the compound initially meant 'against education' in a literal sense and has come to be used to describe things that actively hinder, oppose, or undermine educational aims or learning.