'unegalitarian' originates from English, specifically formed from the prefix 'un-' and the adjective 'egalitarian', where 'un-' meant 'not' and 'egalitarian' meant 'believing in equality'.

'egalitarian' changed from French 'égalitaire' (from French 'égalité' meaning 'equality') and ultimately traces back to Latin 'aequalis' meaning 'equal'; in modern English the negative prefix 'un-' was added to create 'unegalitarian'.

Initially, 'egalitarian' referred to 'relating to equality' and 'unegalitarian' simply meant 'not egalitarian'; over time 'unegalitarian' has come to imply active opposition to equality or support for unequal arrangements.