'non-evidence-based' originates from English components: the prefix 'non-' ultimately from Latin 'non' meaning 'not', combined with 'evidence' (from Old French 'evidence' and Latin 'evidentia') and 'based' from 'base' (Old French/Latin/Greek roots, e.g. Latin/Gk 'basis').

'non-evidence-based' developed by adding the negative prefix 'non-' to the modern compound 'evidence-based', a phrase that became common in late 20th-century medical and policy discourse; the negative form emerged to label practices lacking empirical support.

Initially a straightforward negation ('not evidence-based'), the term has evolved into a critical label used in medicine, public policy, and science communication to denote practices or claims lacking credible empirical support.