'nonconservatism' originates from English, formed by the prefix 'non-' (ultimately from Latin 'non' meaning 'not') attached to the noun 'conservatism.'

'conservatism' comes from French 'conservatisme' and from Latin 'conservare' meaning 'to preserve'; the English suffix '-ism' (from Greek/Latin) marks a doctrine or practice. The modern compound 'nonconservatism' is a later English formation negating that doctrine.

The roots originally referred to 'preserving' or 'keeping safe' (from Latin 'conservare'); over time 'conservatism' came to mean a political or cultural doctrine favoring tradition, and 'nonconservatism' has come to mean the absence of, or opposition to, that doctrine.