diff --git a/lib/tools.js b/lib/tools.js
index 1bebeed6a..296e13558 100644
--- a/lib/tools.js
+++ b/lib/tools.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 const format = require('quick-format-unescaped')
 const { mapHttpRequest, mapHttpResponse } = require('pino-std-serializers')
 const SonicBoom = require('sonic-boom')
-const stringifySafe = require('fast-safe-stringify')
+const stringifySafe = require('json-stringify-safe')
 const {
   lsCacheSym,
   chindingsSym,
@@ -437,7 +437,11 @@ function stringify (obj) {
   try {
     return JSON.stringify(obj)
   } catch (_) {
-    return stringifySafe(obj)
+    try {
+      return stringifySafe(obj)
+    } catch (_) {
+      return '"[unable to serialize, circular reference is too complex to analyze]"'
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2f2534e97..b19aed828 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@
     "on-exit-leak-free": "^0.1.0",
     "pino-abstract-transport": "^0.2.0",
     "pino-std-serializers": "^4.0.0",
+    "json-stringify-safe": "^5.0.1",
     "quick-format-unescaped": "^4.0.3",
     "sonic-boom": "^2.1.0",
     "thread-stream": "^0.11.0"
diff --git a/test/basic.test.js b/test/basic.test.js
index 8828edcf7..27c4b377c 100644
--- a/test/basic.test.js
+++ b/test/basic.test.js
@@ -593,8 +593,7 @@ test('children with same names render in correct order', async ({ equal }) => {
   equal(a, 3, 'last logged object takes precedence')
 })
 
-// https://github.com/pinojs/pino/pull/251 - use this.stringify
-test('use `fast-safe-stringify` to avoid circular dependencies', async ({ same }) => {
+test('use `json-stringify-safe` to avoid circular dependencies', async ({ same }) => {
   const stream = sink()
   const root = pino(stream)
   // circular depth
@@ -602,10 +601,10 @@ test('use `fast-safe-stringify` to avoid circular dependencies', async ({ same }
   obj.a = obj
   root.info(obj)
   const { a } = await once(stream, 'data')
-  same(a, { a: '[Circular]' })
+  same(a, { a: '[Circular ~]' })
 })
 
-test('fast-safe-stringify must be used when interpolating', async (t) => {
+test('json-stringify-safe must be used when interpolating', async (t) => {
   const stream = sink()
   const instance = pino(stream)
 
@@ -614,7 +613,7 @@ test('fast-safe-stringify must be used when interpolating', async (t) => {
   instance.info('test %j', o)
 
   const { msg } = await once(stream, 'data')
-  t.equal(msg, 'test {"a":{"b":{"c":"[Circular]"}}}')
+  t.equal(msg, 'test {"a":{"b":{"c":"[Circular ~.a.b]"}}}')
 })
 
 test('throws when setting useOnlyCustomLevels without customLevels', async ({ throws }) => {