diff --git a/doc/api/util.md b/doc/api/util.md
index 9add56bfaf40c9..8fe3870f693f67 100644
--- a/doc/api/util.md
+++ b/doc/api/util.md
@@ -2510,12 +2510,43 @@ added: v10.0.0
 * `value` {any}
 * Returns: {boolean}
 
-Returns `true` if the value is an instance of a built-in [`Error`][] type.
+Returns `true` if the value was returned by the constructor of a
+[built-in `Error` type][].
 
 ```js
-util.types.isNativeError(new Error());  // Returns true
-util.types.isNativeError(new TypeError());  // Returns true
-util.types.isNativeError(new RangeError());  // Returns true
+console.log(util.types.isNativeError(new Error()));  // true
+console.log(util.types.isNativeError(new TypeError()));  // true
+console.log(util.types.isNativeError(new RangeError()));  // true
+```
+
+Subclasses of the native error types are also native errors:
+
+```js
+class MyError extends Error {}
+console.log(util.types.isNativeError(new MyError()));  // true
+```
+
+A value being `instanceof` a native error class is not equivalent to `isNativeError()`
+returning `true` for that value. `isNativeError()` returns `true` for errors
+which come from a different [realm][] while `instanceof Error` returns `false`
+for these errors:
+
+```js
+const vm = require('node:vm');
+const context = vm.createContext({});
+const myError = vm.runInContext('new Error', context);
+console.log(util.types.isNativeError(myError)); // true
+console.log(myError instanceof Error); // false
+```
+
+Conversely, `isNativeError()` returns `false` for all objects which were not
+returned by the constructor of a native error. That includes values
+which are `instanceof` native errors:
+
+```js
+const myError = { __proto__: Error.prototype };
+console.log(util.types.isNativeError(myError)); // false
+console.log(myError instanceof Error); // true
 ```
 
 ### `util.types.isNumberObject(value)`
@@ -3330,11 +3361,13 @@ util.log('Timestamped message.');
 [`util.types.isNativeError()`]: #utiltypesisnativeerrorvalue
 [`util.types.isSharedArrayBuffer()`]: #utiltypesissharedarraybuffervalue
 [async function]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Statements/async_function
+[built-in `Error` type]: https://tc39.es/ecma262/#sec-error-objects
 [compare function]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Array/sort#Parameters
 [constructor]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Object/constructor
 [default sort]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Array/sort
 [global symbol registry]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Symbol/for
 [list of deprecated APIS]: deprecations.md#list-of-deprecated-apis
 [pkgjs/parseargs]: https://github.com/pkgjs/parseargs
+[realm]: https://tc39.es/ecma262/#realm
 [semantically incompatible]: https://github.com/nodejs/node/issues/4179
 [util.inspect.custom]: #utilinspectcustom