diff --git a/src/Lean/Elab/PreDefinition/Main.lean b/src/Lean/Elab/PreDefinition/Main.lean
index fb94aa6ab9..9705643708 100644
--- a/src/Lean/Elab/PreDefinition/Main.lean
+++ b/src/Lean/Elab/PreDefinition/Main.lean
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@ private def addAndCompilePartial (preDefs : Array PreDefinition) (useSorry := fa
       let value ← if useSorry then
         mkLambdaFVars xs (← mkSorry type (synthetic := true))
       else
-        liftM <| mkInhabitantFor preDef.declName xs type
+        let msg := m!"failed to compile 'partial' definition '{preDef.declName}'"
+        liftM <| mkInhabitantFor msg xs type
       addNonRec { preDef with
         kind  := DefKind.«opaque»
         value
diff --git a/src/Lean/Elab/PreDefinition/MkInhabitant.lean b/src/Lean/Elab/PreDefinition/MkInhabitant.lean
index 4006a9d284..e0133a307a 100644
--- a/src/Lean/Elab/PreDefinition/MkInhabitant.lean
+++ b/src/Lean/Elab/PreDefinition/MkInhabitant.lean
@@ -50,13 +50,13 @@ private partial def mkInhabitantForAux? (xs insts : Array Expr) (type : Expr) (u
       return none
 
 /- TODO: add a global IO.Ref to let users customize/extend this procedure -/
-def mkInhabitantFor (declName : Name) (xs : Array Expr) (type : Expr) : MetaM Expr :=
+def mkInhabitantFor (failedToMessage : MessageData) (xs : Array Expr) (type : Expr) : MetaM Expr :=
   withInhabitedInstances xs fun insts => do
     if let some val ← mkInhabitantForAux? xs insts type false <||> mkInhabitantForAux? xs insts type true then
       return val
     else
       throwError "\
-        failed to compile 'partial' definition '{declName}', could not prove that the type\
+        {failedToMessage}, could not prove that the type\
         {indentExpr (← mkForallFVars xs type)}\n\
         is nonempty.\n\
         \n\