diff --git a/framework-docs/modules/ROOT/pages/core/beans/java/composing-configuration-classes.adoc b/framework-docs/modules/ROOT/pages/core/beans/java/composing-configuration-classes.adoc
index d17e593f24a..3bd4eaf272e 100644
--- a/framework-docs/modules/ROOT/pages/core/beans/java/composing-configuration-classes.adoc
+++ b/framework-docs/modules/ROOT/pages/core/beans/java/composing-configuration-classes.adoc
@@ -612,15 +612,15 @@ javadoc for more detail.
 
 [NOTE]
 ====
-A `@Conditional` declared on an enclosing `@Configuration` class gates the
-registration of nested `@Configuration` classes within it only when the
-nested class is reached through the parser's recursion from its enclosing
-class, or through `@Import`. When the nested class is discovered
-independently of its enclosing class, for example via `@ComponentScan` or
-by directly registering it against the application context, it is processed
-using only its own `@Conditional` annotations. In that case, redeclare the
-relevant conditions on the nested class, or extract them into a composed
-annotation applied to both, if the same gating is intended.
+A `@Conditional` annotation declared on an enclosing `@Configuration` class is only
+applied to the registration of a nested `@Configuration` class if the nested class is
+reached through the parser's recursion from its enclosing class, or via `@Import`. If a
+nested class is discovered independently of its enclosing class — for example, via
+`@ComponentScan` or by directly registering it against the application context — it is
+processed using only its own `@Conditional` annotations. Thus, if you wish to ensure that
+the same `@Conditional` annotations apply in such scenarios, you must redeclare the
+relevant annotations on the nested class, or extract them into a composed annotation
+which you apply to both the enclosing class and the nested class.
 ====
 
 
diff --git a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/Configuration.java b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/Configuration.java
index 9c0e20fcf40..6be5fafc8b6 100644
--- a/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/Configuration.java
+++ b/spring-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/Configuration.java
@@ -341,17 +341,17 @@ import org.springframework.stereotype.Component;
  * with the {@code @Profile} annotation to provide two options of the same bean to the
  * enclosing {@code @Configuration} class.
  *
- * <p>{@link Conditional @Conditional} annotations declared on an enclosing
- * {@code @Configuration} class gate registration of any nested
- * {@code @Configuration} classes within it when the nested class is reached
- * through the parser's recursion from its enclosing class (the case shown
- * above) or via {@link Import @Import}. When the nested class is discovered
- * independently of its enclosing class, for example via
- * {@link ComponentScan @ComponentScan} or by directly registering the nested
- * class against the application context, it is processed using only its own
- * {@code @Conditional} annotations. In that case, redeclare the relevant
- * conditions on the nested class, or extract them into a composed
- * annotation applied to both, if the same gating is intended.
+ * <p>A {@link Conditional @Conditional} annotation declared on an enclosing
+ * {@code @Configuration} class is only applied to the registration of a nested
+ * {@code @Configuration} class if the nested class is reached through the parser's
+ * recursion from its enclosing class, or via {@link Import @Import}. If a nested
+ * class is discovered independently of its enclosing class &mdash; for example,
+ * via {@link ComponentScan @ComponentScan} or by directly registering it against
+ * the application context &mdash; it is processed using only its own
+ * {@code @Conditional} annotations. Thus, if you wish to ensure that the same
+ * {@code @Conditional} annotations apply in such scenarios, you must redeclare
+ * the relevant annotations on the nested class, or extract them into a composed
+ * annotation which you apply to both the enclosing class and the nested class.
  *
  * <h2>Configuring lazy initialization</h2>
  *