diff --git a/documentation/assertions/array-like/to-contain.md b/documentation/assertions/array-like/to-contain.md
index cea9b0644..f66661d14 100644
--- a/documentation/assertions/array-like/to-contain.md
+++ b/documentation/assertions/array-like/to-contain.md
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ be in the subject.
 ```js
 expect(
   [{ name: 'John Doe' }, { name: 'Jane Doe' }],
-  'to exhaustively contain',
+  'to only contain',
   { name: 'Jane Doe' },
   { name: 'John Doe' }
 );
@@ -65,14 +65,14 @@ following output:
 ```js
 expect(
   [{ name: 'Jane Doe' }, { name: 'John Doe' }],
-  'to exhaustively contain',
+  'to only contain',
   { name: 'Jane Doe' }
 );
 ```
 
 ```output
 expected [ { name: 'Jane Doe' }, { name: 'John Doe' } ]
-to exhaustively contain { name: 'Jane Doe' }
+to only contain { name: 'Jane Doe' }
 
 [
   { name: 'Jane Doe' },
diff --git a/lib/assertions.js b/lib/assertions.js
index ed8663277..ada3422ba 100644
--- a/lib/assertions.js
+++ b/lib/assertions.js
@@ -767,14 +767,14 @@ module.exports = (expect) => {
   });
 
   expect.addAssertion(
-    '<array-like> [not] to [exhaustively] contain <any+>',
+    '<array-like> [not] to [only] contain <any+>',
     function (expect, subject) {
       const args = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments, 2);
 
-      if (expect.flags.exhaustively && expect.flags.not) {
+      if (expect.flags.only && expect.flags.not) {
         expect.errorMode = 'bubble';
         expect.fail(
-          'The "not" flag cannot be used together with "to exhaustively contain".'
+          'The "not" flag cannot be used together with "to only contain".'
         );
       }
 
@@ -789,7 +789,7 @@ module.exports = (expect) => {
               '[not] to be truthy'
             );
           });
-          if (expect.flags.exhaustively) {
+          if (expect.flags.only) {
             expect(subject.length, 'to be', args.length);
           }
         },
@@ -804,7 +804,7 @@ module.exports = (expect) => {
                     (item) => !args.some((arg) => equal(item, arg))
                   )
                 );
-              } else if (expect.flags.exhaustively) {
+              } else if (expect.flags.only) {
                 var excessItems = Array.prototype.filter.call(subject, (item) =>
                   args.some((arg) => equal(item, arg))
                 );
diff --git a/test/assertions/to-contain.spec.js b/test/assertions/to-contain.spec.js
index 184f1d872..62e62626e 100644
--- a/test/assertions/to-contain.spec.js
+++ b/test/assertions/to-contain.spec.js
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ describe('to contain assertion', () => {
         '  The assertion does not have a matching signature for:\n' +
         '    <null> not to contain <string>\n' +
         '  did you mean:\n' +
-        '    <array-like> [not] to [exhaustively] contain <any+>\n' +
+        '    <array-like> [not] to [only] contain <any+>\n' +
         '    <string> [not] to contain <string+>'
     );
 
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ describe('to contain assertion', () => {
         '  The assertion does not have a matching signature for:\n' +
         '    <number> to contain <number>\n' +
         '  did you mean:\n' +
-        '    <array-like> [not] to [exhaustively] contain <any+>\n' +
+        '    <array-like> [not] to [only] contain <any+>\n' +
         '    <string> [not] to contain <string+>'
     );
   });
@@ -166,12 +166,12 @@ describe('to contain assertion', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  describe('with the exhaustively flag', () => {
+  describe('with the only flag', () => {
     it('should not throw when all items are included in the subject', () => {
       expect(function () {
         expect(
           [{ bar: 456 }, { foo: 123 }],
-          'to exhaustively contain',
+          'to only contain',
           { foo: 123 },
           { bar: 456 }
         );
@@ -183,13 +183,13 @@ describe('to contain assertion', () => {
         function () {
           expect(
             [{ bar: 456 }],
-            'to exhaustively contain',
+            'to only contain',
             { foo: 123 },
             { bar: 456 }
           );
         },
         'to throw exception',
-        'expected [ { bar: 456 } ] to exhaustively contain { foo: 123 }, { bar: 456 }\n' +
+        'expected [ { bar: 456 } ] to only contain { foo: 123 }, { bar: 456 }\n' +
           '\n' +
           '[\n' +
           '  { bar: 456 }\n' +
@@ -203,14 +203,14 @@ describe('to contain assertion', () => {
         function () {
           expect(
             [{ bar: 456 }, { foo: 123 }, { baz: 789 }],
-            'to exhaustively contain',
+            'to only contain',
             { foo: 123 },
             { bar: 456 }
           );
         },
         'to throw exception',
         'expected [ { bar: 456 }, { foo: 123 }, { baz: 789 } ]\n' +
-          'to exhaustively contain { foo: 123 }, { bar: 456 }\n' +
+          'to only contain { foo: 123 }, { bar: 456 }\n' +
           '\n' +
           '[\n' +
           '  { bar: 456 },\n' +
@@ -220,13 +220,13 @@ describe('to contain assertion', () => {
       );
     });
 
-    it('should throw when combining the not and exhaustively flags', () => {
+    it('should throw when combining the not and only flags', () => {
       expect(
         function () {
-          expect([{ foo: 123 }], 'not to exhaustively contain', { foo: 123 });
+          expect([{ foo: 123 }], 'not to only contain', { foo: 123 });
         },
         'to throw exception',
-        'The "not" flag cannot be used together with "to exhaustively contain".'
+        'The "not" flag cannot be used together with "to only contain".'
       );
     });
   });