diff --git a/compiler/rustc_lint_defs/src/builtin.rs b/compiler/rustc_lint_defs/src/builtin.rs
index 664c63da0fc..c7996c27c2f 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_lint_defs/src/builtin.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_lint_defs/src/builtin.rs
@@ -4250,13 +4250,46 @@
     /// The `never_type_fallback_flowing_into_unsafe` lint detects cases where never type fallback
     /// affects unsafe function calls.
     ///
+    /// ### Never type fallback
+    ///
+    /// When the compiler sees a value of type [`!`] it implicitly inserts a coercion (if possible),
+    /// to allow type check to infer any type:
+    ///
+    /// ```ignore (illustrative-and-has-placeholders)
+    /// // this
+    /// let x: u8 = panic!();
+    ///
+    /// // is (essentially) turned by the compiler into
+    /// let x: u8 = absurd(panic!());
+    ///
+    /// // where absurd is a function with the following signature
+    /// // (it's sound, because `!` always marks unreachable code):
+    /// fn absurd<T>(_: !) -> T { ... }
+    // FIXME: use `core::convert::absurd` here instead, once it's merged
+    /// ```
+    ///
+    /// While it's convenient to be able to use non-diverging code in one of the branches (like
+    /// `if a { b } else { return }`) this could lead to compilation errors:
+    ///
+    /// ```compile_fail
+    /// // this
+    /// { panic!() };
+    ///
+    /// // gets turned into this
+    /// { absurd(panic!()) }; // error: can't infer the type of `absurd`
+    /// ```
+    ///
+    /// To prevent such errors, compiler remembers where it inserted `absurd` calls, and if it
+    /// can't infer their type, it sets the type to fallback. `{ absurd::<Fallback>(panic!()) };`.
+    /// This is what is known as "never type fallback".
+    ///
     /// ### Example
     ///
     /// ```rust,compile_fail
     /// #![deny(never_type_fallback_flowing_into_unsafe)]
     /// fn main() {
     ///     if true {
-    ///         // return has type `!` (never) which, is some cases, causes never type fallback
+    ///         // return has type `!` which, is some cases, causes never type fallback
     ///         return
     ///     } else {
     ///         // `zeroed` is an unsafe function, which returns an unbounded type
@@ -4271,7 +4304,7 @@
     ///
     /// ### Explanation
     ///
-    /// Due to historic reasons never type fallback were `()`, meaning that `!` got spontaneously
+    /// Due to historic reasons never type fallback was `()`, meaning that `!` got spontaneously
     /// coerced to `()`. There are plans to change that, but they may make the code such as above
     /// unsound. Instead of depending on the fallback, you should specify the type explicitly:
     /// ```
@@ -4284,6 +4317,9 @@
     /// ```
     ///
     /// See [Tracking Issue for making `!` fall back to `!`](https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/123748).
+    ///
+    /// [`!`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/core/primitive.never.html
+    /// [`()`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/core/primitive.unit.html
     pub NEVER_TYPE_FALLBACK_FLOWING_INTO_UNSAFE,
     Warn,
     "never type fallback affecting unsafe function calls"