anti-religious

The word is a modern English compound formed by directly attaching the Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' to the existing English adjective 'religious'. The prefix 'anti-' originates from the Ancient Greek preposition ἀντί (anti), meaning 'against' or 'opposite of', which itself can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root h₂énti, meaning 'in front of, before'. The adjective 'religious' entered English via Old French from the Latin religiōsus, meaning 'pious, devout', which derives from religiō (obligation, reverence). The compound 'anti-religious' thus logically constructs its meaning through a transparent oppositional structure: literally 'against-religious', describing an attitude or position contrary to that of religious faith.

Structure: anti (against) + religious (relating to religion) - anti: A prefix of Greek origin (from ἀντί, anti, meaning 'against, opposite'). It functions as a derivational prefix indicating opposition or hostility. - religious: An adjective of Latin origin (from religiōsus). It functions as the base word, denoting a connection to religion.