'non-ant-like' originates from a combination of elements: the prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non') meaning 'not', the noun 'ant' (from Old English 'ǣmete') meaning 'ant', and the suffix '-like' (from Old English 'līc') meaning 'having the form of'.

'non-ant-like' was formed in Modern English by compounding 'non-' + 'ant' + '-like'. The element 'ant' comes from Old English 'ǣmete' (from Proto-Germanic *amaitijaz), while '-like' derives from Old English 'līc'; the prefix 'non-' is inherited from Latin usage of 'non' through Middle and Modern English.

Initially the component parts meant simply 'not' + 'ant' + 'having the form of', so the combined sense was 'not having the form or characteristics of an ant'; its usage has remained largely literal but can extend metaphorically to behavior or organization that contrasts with ant-like (highly social, collective) traits.