diff --git a/src/Init/Prelude.lean b/src/Init/Prelude.lean
index b38de8f039..fbcb598ac9 100644
--- a/src/Init/Prelude.lean
+++ b/src/Init/Prelude.lean
@@ -166,6 +166,7 @@ structure Subtype {α : Sort u} (p : α → Prop) where
 @[reducible] def namedPattern {α : Sort u} (x a : α) : α := a
 
 /- Auxiliary axiom used to implement `sorry`. -/
+@[extern "lean_sorry", neverExtract]
 axiom sorryAx (α : Sort u) (synthetic := true) : α
 
 theorem eqFalseOfNeTrue : {b : Bool} → Not (Eq b true) → Eq b false
diff --git a/src/library/compiler/compiler.cpp b/src/library/compiler/compiler.cpp
index 04f3fe1ccb..fcb2fbe5d0 100644
--- a/src/library/compiler/compiler.cpp
+++ b/src/library/compiler/compiler.cpp
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ Author: Leonardo de Moura
 #include "kernel/kernel_exception.h"
 #include "library/max_sharing.h"
 #include "library/trace.h"
-#include "library/sorry.h"
 #include "library/time_task.h"
 #include "library/compiler/util.h"
 #include "library/compiler/lcnf.h"
@@ -158,10 +157,6 @@ bool is_main_fn_type(expr const & type) {
     }
 }
 
-static bool has_synthetic_sorry(constant_info const & cinfo) {
-    return cinfo.is_definition() && has_synthetic_sorry(cinfo.get_value());
-}
-
 #define trace_compiler(k, ds) lean_trace(k, trace_comp_decls(ds););
 
 environment compile(environment const & env, options const & opts, names cs) {
@@ -190,7 +185,6 @@ environment compile(environment const & env, options const & opts, names cs) {
         lean_assert(!is_extern_constant(env, get_real_name(c)));
         constant_info cinfo = env.get(c);
         if (!cinfo.is_definition() && !cinfo.is_opaque()) return env;
-        if (has_synthetic_sorry(cinfo)) return env;
     }
 
     time_task t("compilation", opts);
diff --git a/src/runtime/object.cpp b/src/runtime/object.cpp
index 93e0842df3..c921c4bd1e 100644
--- a/src/runtime/object.cpp
+++ b/src/runtime/object.cpp
@@ -58,6 +58,10 @@ extern "C" object * lean_panic_fn(object * default_val, object * msg) {
     return default_val;
 }
 
+extern "C" object * lean_sorry(uint8) {
+    lean_panic("executing sorry");
+}
+
 extern "C" size_t lean_object_byte_size(lean_object * o) {
     if (lean_is_mt(o) || lean_is_st(o) || lean_is_persistent(o)) {
         /* Recall that multi-threaded, single-threaded and persistent objects are stored in the heap.