diff --git a/compiler/ir/backend.common/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/common/CommonBackendErrors.kt b/compiler/ir/backend.common/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/common/CommonBackendErrors.kt
index 911db5624c8..04038bc4c53 100644
--- a/compiler/ir/backend.common/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/common/CommonBackendErrors.kt
+++ b/compiler/ir/backend.common/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/common/CommonBackendErrors.kt
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import com.intellij.psi.PsiElement
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.backend.common.BackendDiagnosticRenderers.EXPECT_ACTUAL_ANNOTATION_INCOMPATIBILITY
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.backend.common.BackendDiagnosticRenderers.INCOMPATIBILITY
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.backend.common.BackendDiagnosticRenderers.DECLARATION_NAME
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.backend.common.BackendDiagnosticRenderers.EVALUATION_ERROR_EXPLANATION
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.backend.common.BackendDiagnosticRenderers.SYMBOL_OWNER_DECLARATION_FQ_NAME
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.descriptors.ModuleDescriptor
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.diagnostics.*
@@ -64,7 +65,7 @@ object KtDefaultCommonBackendErrorMessages : BaseDiagnosticRendererFactory() {
         map.put(
             CommonBackendErrors.EVALUATION_ERROR,
             "Cannot evaluate constant expression: {0}",
-            STRING,
+            EVALUATION_ERROR_EXPLANATION,
         )
         map.put(
             CommonBackendErrors.ACTUAL_ANNOTATION_CONFLICTING_DEFAULT_ARGUMENT_VALUE,
@@ -91,4 +92,16 @@ object BackendDiagnosticRenderers {
             "Annotation `$expectAnnotationFqName` $reason"
         }
     val DECLARATION_NAME = Renderer<IrDeclarationWithName> { it.name.asString() }
+    val EVALUATION_ERROR_EXPLANATION = Renderer<String> {
+        val result = Regex("Exception (\\S+)(: (.*))?").matchEntire(it)?.groupValues
+        val exceptionName = result?.getOrNull(1)
+        val message = result?.getOrNull(3)
+        when {
+            !message.isNullOrBlank() -> message
+            exceptionName == StackOverflowError::class.java.name -> "stack overflow (potentially due to infinite recursion)"
+            exceptionName == NullPointerException::class.java.name -> "null reference access"
+            exceptionName != null -> exceptionName.split('.').last()
+            else -> it
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/compiler/testData/diagnostics/irInterpreter/exceptionFromInterpreter.fir.ir.diag.txt b/compiler/testData/diagnostics/irInterpreter/exceptionFromInterpreter.fir.ir.diag.txt
index 70c7990b1aa..421f6af106c 100644
--- a/compiler/testData/diagnostics/irInterpreter/exceptionFromInterpreter.fir.ir.diag.txt
+++ b/compiler/testData/diagnostics/irInterpreter/exceptionFromInterpreter.fir.ir.diag.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-/exceptionFromInterpreter.kt:(195,200): error: Cannot evaluate constant expression: Exception java.lang.ArithmeticException: / by zero
+/exceptionFromInterpreter.kt:(195,200): error: Cannot evaluate constant expression: / by zero
 
-/exceptionFromInterpreter.kt:(239,254): error: Cannot evaluate constant expression: Exception java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: marginPrefix must be non-blank string.
+/exceptionFromInterpreter.kt:(239,254): error: Cannot evaluate constant expression: marginPrefix must be non-blank string.
 
-/exceptionFromInterpreter.kt:(303,308): error: Cannot evaluate constant expression: Exception java.lang.ArithmeticException: / by zero
+/exceptionFromInterpreter.kt:(303,308): error: Cannot evaluate constant expression: / by zero
diff --git a/compiler/testData/diagnostics/irInterpreter/recursionAccess.fir.ir.diag.txt b/compiler/testData/diagnostics/irInterpreter/recursionAccess.fir.ir.diag.txt
index 7c6f0c7e029..8496ce9582d 100644
--- a/compiler/testData/diagnostics/irInterpreter/recursionAccess.fir.ir.diag.txt
+++ b/compiler/testData/diagnostics/irInterpreter/recursionAccess.fir.ir.diag.txt
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-/recursionAccess.kt:(178,194): error: Cannot evaluate constant expression: Exception java.lang.StackOverflowError
+/recursionAccess.kt:(178,194): error: Cannot evaluate constant expression: stack overflow (potentially due to infinite recursion)
 
-/recursionAccess.kt:(267,283): error: Cannot evaluate constant expression: Exception java.lang.NullPointerException
+/recursionAccess.kt:(267,283): error: Cannot evaluate constant expression: null reference access