diff --git a/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py b/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py
index e861bf7a9..668d6c4e2 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/backend/ninjabackend.py
@@ -2160,17 +2160,17 @@ rule FORTRAN_DEP_HACK
         elem.add_item('pool', 'console')
         elem.write(outfile)
 
-    def get_build_on_all_targets(self):
+    def get_build_by_default_targets(self):
         result = []
         for t in self.build.get_targets().values():
-            if t.build_on_all or t.install or t.build_always:
+            if t.build_by_default or t.install or t.build_always:
                 result.append(t)
         return result
 
     def generate_ending(self, outfile):
         targetlist = []
         ctlist = []
-        for t in self.get_build_on_all_targets():
+        for t in self.get_build_by_default_targets():
             if isinstance(t, build.CustomTarget):
                 # Create a list of all custom target outputs
                 for o in t.get_outputs():
diff --git a/mesonbuild/build.py b/mesonbuild/build.py
index b01c28051..91815fa26 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/build.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/build.py
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ known_basic_kwargs = {'install': True,
                       'sources': True,
                       'objects': True,
                       'native': True,
-                      'build_on_all': True,
+                      'build_by_default': True,
                       }
 
 # These contain kwargs supported by both static and shared libraries. These are
@@ -254,10 +254,10 @@ class EnvironmentVariables():
         return env
 
 class Target:
-    def __init__(self, name, subdir, build_on_all):
+    def __init__(self, name, subdir, build_by_default):
         self.name = name
         self.subdir = subdir
-        self.build_on_all = build_on_all
+        self.build_by_default = build_by_default
         self.install = False
         self.build_always = False
 
@@ -268,10 +268,10 @@ class Target:
         return self.subdir
 
     def process_kwargs(self, kwargs):
-        if 'build_on_all' in kwargs:
-            self.build_on_all = kwargs['build_on_all']
-            if not isinstance(self.build_on_all, bool):
-                raise InvalidArguments('build_on_all must be a boolean value.')
+        if 'build_by_default' in kwargs:
+            self.build_by_default = kwargs['build_by_default']
+            if not isinstance(self.build_by_default, bool):
+                raise InvalidArguments('build_by_default must be a boolean value.')
 
 class BuildTarget(Target):
     def __init__(self, name, subdir, subproject, is_cross, sources, objects, environment, kwargs):
diff --git a/run_unittests.py b/run_unittests.py
index cc4b1f339..123bca81b 100755
--- a/run_unittests.py
+++ b/run_unittests.py
@@ -526,8 +526,8 @@ class LinuxlikeTests(unittest.TestCase):
         self._test_stds_impl(testdir, cpp, 'cpp')
 
 
-    def test_build_on_all(self):
-        testdir = os.path.join(self.unit_test_dir, '4 build on all')
+    def test_build_by_default(self):
+        testdir = os.path.join(self.unit_test_dir, '5 build by default')
         self.init(testdir)
         self.build()
         genfile = os.path.join(self.builddir, 'generated.dat')
diff --git a/test cases/unit/4 build on all/foo.c b/test cases/unit/5 build by default/foo.c
similarity index 100%
rename from test cases/unit/4 build on all/foo.c
rename to test cases/unit/5 build by default/foo.c
diff --git a/test cases/unit/4 build on all/meson.build b/test cases/unit/5 build by default/meson.build
similarity index 75%
rename from test cases/unit/4 build on all/meson.build
rename to test cases/unit/5 build by default/meson.build
index 5a746a505..67c5cc290 100644
--- a/test cases/unit/4 build on all/meson.build	
+++ b/test cases/unit/5 build by default/meson.build	
@@ -3,11 +3,11 @@ project('build on all', 'c')
 py3_mod = import('python3')
 py3 = py3_mod.find_python()
 
-executable('fooprog', 'foo.c', build_on_all : false)
+executable('fooprog', 'foo.c', build_by_default : false)
 comp = files('mygen.py')
 mytarget = custom_target('gendat',
   output : 'generated.dat',
   input : 'source.txt',
   command : [py3] + comp + ['@INPUT@', '@OUTPUT@'],
-  build_on_all : true,
+  build_by_default : true,
 )
diff --git a/test cases/unit/4 build on all/mygen.py b/test cases/unit/5 build by default/mygen.py
similarity index 100%
rename from test cases/unit/4 build on all/mygen.py
rename to test cases/unit/5 build by default/mygen.py
diff --git a/test cases/unit/4 build on all/source.txt b/test cases/unit/5 build by default/source.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from test cases/unit/4 build on all/source.txt
rename to test cases/unit/5 build by default/source.txt