'mononormative' originates from Modern English coinage, specifically combining Greek-derived 'mono-' (from Greek 'monos') and Latin-derived 'normative' (from Latin 'norma'), where 'mono-' meant 'single' and 'normative' related to a 'standard' or 'norm'.

'mononormative' developed in late 20th / early 21st century academic and activist discourse; it evolved from related formations such as 'mononormativity' and phrase constructions like 'mono-normative assumptions' and became used as the adjective 'mononormative' in sociological and queer-theory writing.

Initially used to name and critique social norms that privileged monogamy, the term has retained that critical meaning and is now widely used to describe policies, attitudes, and cultural assumptions that assume monogamy as standard.