diff --git a/docs/usage/updating-rebasing.md b/docs/usage/updating-rebasing.md
index 35eae7b54b5831515f05ef138e8269ea6b5833c8..6bc63ac18d48ad92874244c439ed420d5524ff5b 100644
--- a/docs/usage/updating-rebasing.md
+++ b/docs/usage/updating-rebasing.md
@@ -59,6 +59,6 @@ The label name is configurable via the `rebaseLabel` option.
 If you apply a rebase label then Renovate will regenerate its commit for the branch, even if the branch has been modified.
 The rebase label is useful in situations like:
 
-- If a branch is stale but you don't have `rebaseWhen=behind-base-branch` enabled
+- If a branch is behind the base branch but you don't have `rebaseWhen=behind-base-branch` enabled
 - If a branch has been edited and you want to discard the edits and have Renovate create it again
 - If a branch was created with an error (e.g. lockfile generation) and you want Renovate to try again
diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/update/branch/index.ts b/lib/workers/repository/update/branch/index.ts
index c289be6305d924386d86ced8d54d36dac8e5f409..62ed7989a7e469d238c922ae19eb0ce8e2f90a49 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/update/branch/index.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/update/branch/index.ts
@@ -590,7 +590,7 @@ export async function processBranch(
         ['conflicted', 'never'].includes(config.rebaseWhen!)
       ) {
         logger.warn(
-          'Branch cannot automerge because it is stale and rebaseWhen setting disallows rebasing - raising a PR instead'
+          'Branch cannot automerge because it is behind base branch and rebaseWhen setting disallows rebasing - raising a PR instead'
         );
         config.forcePr = true;
         config.branchAutomergeFailureMessage = mergeStatus;
diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/update/branch/reuse.ts b/lib/workers/repository/update/branch/reuse.ts
index 2f1e75d5761cdef3563006a98110057893a7dc84..386f7c62a043937a71beed4a7283552996a4dea3 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/update/branch/reuse.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/update/branch/reuse.ts
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ export async function shouldReuseExistingBranch(
       (config.automerge || (await platform.getRepoForceRebase())))
   ) {
     if (await isBranchBehindBase(branchName)) {
-      logger.debug(`Branch is stale and needs rebasing`);
+      logger.debug(`Branch is behind base branch and needs rebasing`);
       // We can rebase the branch only if no PR or PR can be rebased
       if (await isBranchModified(branchName)) {
         logger.debug('Cannot rebase branch as it has been modified');
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ export async function shouldReuseExistingBranch(
     logger.debug('Branch is up-to-date');
   } else {
     logger.debug(
-      `Skipping stale branch check due to rebaseWhen=${config.rebaseWhen!}`
+      `Skipping behind base branch check due to rebaseWhen=${config.rebaseWhen!}`
     );
   }