diff --git a/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/apiState.ts b/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/apiState.ts
index 79b248ea35..71ca4856e4 100644
--- a/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/apiState.ts
+++ b/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/apiState.ts
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ export type SubscriptionOptions = {
    *
    *  Note: requires [`setupListeners`](./setupListeners) to have been called.
    */
-  skipPollOnFocusLost?: boolean
+  skipPollingIfUnfocused?: boolean
   /**
    * Defaults to `false`. This setting allows you to control whether RTK Query will try to refetch all subscribed queries after regaining a network connection.
    *
diff --git a/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/buildMiddleware/polling.ts b/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/buildMiddleware/polling.ts
index beb5666bbc..2870d43443 100644
--- a/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/buildMiddleware/polling.ts
+++ b/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/buildMiddleware/polling.ts
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ export const buildPollingHandler: InternalHandlerBuilder = ({
     if (!querySubState || querySubState.status === QueryStatus.uninitialized)
       return
 
-    const { lowestPollingInterval, skipPollOnFocusLost } =
+    const { lowestPollingInterval, skipPollingIfUnfocused } =
       findLowestPollingInterval(subscriptions)
     if (!Number.isFinite(lowestPollingInterval)) return
 
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ export const buildPollingHandler: InternalHandlerBuilder = ({
       nextPollTimestamp,
       pollingInterval: lowestPollingInterval,
       timeout: setTimeout(() => {
-        if (state.config.focused || !skipPollOnFocusLost) {
+        if (state.config.focused || !skipPollingIfUnfocused) {
           api.dispatch(refetchQuery(querySubState, queryCacheKey))
         }
         startNextPoll({ queryCacheKey }, api)
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ export const buildPollingHandler: InternalHandlerBuilder = ({
   }
 
   function findLowestPollingInterval(subscribers: Subscribers = {}) {
-    let skipPollOnFocusLost: boolean | undefined = false
+    let skipPollingIfUnfocused: boolean | undefined = false
     let lowestPollingInterval = Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY
     for (let key in subscribers) {
       if (!!subscribers[key].pollingInterval) {
@@ -135,14 +135,14 @@ export const buildPollingHandler: InternalHandlerBuilder = ({
           subscribers[key].pollingInterval!,
           lowestPollingInterval
         )
-        skipPollOnFocusLost =
-          subscribers[key].skipPollOnFocusLost || skipPollOnFocusLost
+        skipPollingIfUnfocused =
+          subscribers[key].skipPollingIfUnfocused || skipPollingIfUnfocused
       }
     }
 
     return {
       lowestPollingInterval,
-      skipPollOnFocusLost,
+      skipPollingIfUnfocused,
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/toolkit/src/query/react/buildHooks.ts b/packages/toolkit/src/query/react/buildHooks.ts
index 369637f5b4..a17ba0ae4f 100644
--- a/packages/toolkit/src/query/react/buildHooks.ts
+++ b/packages/toolkit/src/query/react/buildHooks.ts
@@ -672,7 +672,7 @@ export function buildHooks<Definitions extends EndpointDefinitions>({
         refetchOnMountOrArgChange,
         skip = false,
         pollingInterval = 0,
-        skipPollOnFocusLost = false,
+        skipPollingIfUnfocused = false,
       } = {}
     ) => {
       const { initiate } = api.endpoints[name] as ApiEndpointQuery<
@@ -716,7 +716,7 @@ export function buildHooks<Definitions extends EndpointDefinitions>({
         refetchOnReconnect,
         refetchOnFocus,
         pollingInterval,
-        skipPollOnFocusLost,
+        skipPollingIfUnfocused,
       })
 
       const lastRenderHadSubscription = useRef(false)
@@ -817,7 +817,7 @@ export function buildHooks<Definitions extends EndpointDefinitions>({
       refetchOnReconnect,
       refetchOnFocus,
       pollingInterval = 0,
-      skipPollOnFocusLost = false,
+      skipPollingIfUnfocused = false,
     } = {}) => {
       const { initiate } = api.endpoints[name] as ApiEndpointQuery<
         QueryDefinition<any, any, any, any, any>,
@@ -832,7 +832,7 @@ export function buildHooks<Definitions extends EndpointDefinitions>({
         refetchOnReconnect,
         refetchOnFocus,
         pollingInterval,
-        skipPollOnFocusLost,
+        skipPollingIfUnfocused,
       })
 
       usePossiblyImmediateEffect(() => {
diff --git a/packages/toolkit/src/query/tests/polling.test.tsx b/packages/toolkit/src/query/tests/polling.test.tsx
index 297d4eaff3..1e5deb1056 100644
--- a/packages/toolkit/src/query/tests/polling.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/toolkit/src/query/tests/polling.test.tsx
@@ -123,11 +123,14 @@ describe('polling tests', () => {
     expect(mockBaseQuery.mock.calls.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(2)
   })
 
-  it('respects skipPollOnFocusLost', async () => {
+  it('respects skipPollingIfUnfocused', async () => {
     mockBaseQuery.mockClear()
     storeRef.store.dispatch(
       getPosts.initiate(2, {
-        subscriptionOptions: { pollingInterval: 10, skipPollOnFocusLost: true },
+        subscriptionOptions: {
+          pollingInterval: 10,
+          skipPollingIfUnfocused: true,
+        },
         subscribe: true,
       })
     )
@@ -140,7 +143,7 @@ describe('polling tests', () => {
       getPosts.initiate(2, {
         subscriptionOptions: {
           pollingInterval: 10,
-          skipPollOnFocusLost: false,
+          skipPollingIfUnfocused: false,
         },
         subscribe: true,
       })
@@ -157,12 +160,12 @@ describe('polling tests', () => {
     storeRef.store.dispatch(api.util.resetApiState())
   })
 
-  it('respects skipPollOnFocusLost if at least one subscription has it', async () => {
+  it('respects skipPollingIfUnfocused if at least one subscription has it', async () => {
     storeRef.store.dispatch(
       getPosts.initiate(3, {
         subscriptionOptions: {
           pollingInterval: 10,
-          skipPollOnFocusLost: false,
+          skipPollingIfUnfocused: false,
         },
         subscribe: true,
       })
@@ -173,7 +176,10 @@ describe('polling tests', () => {
 
     storeRef.store.dispatch(
       getPosts.initiate(3, {
-        subscriptionOptions: { pollingInterval: 15, skipPollOnFocusLost: true },
+        subscriptionOptions: {
+          pollingInterval: 15,
+          skipPollingIfUnfocused: true,
+        },
         subscribe: true,
       })
     )
@@ -182,7 +188,7 @@ describe('polling tests', () => {
       getPosts.initiate(3, {
         subscriptionOptions: {
           pollingInterval: 20,
-          skipPollOnFocusLost: false,
+          skipPollingIfUnfocused: false,
         },
         subscribe: true,
       })
@@ -197,13 +203,13 @@ describe('polling tests', () => {
     expect(callsWithSkip).toBe(callsWithoutSkip + 1)
   })
 
-  it('replaces skipPollOnFocusLost when the subscription options are updated', async () => {
+  it('replaces skipPollingIfUnfocused when the subscription options are updated', async () => {
     const { requestId, queryCacheKey, ...subscription } =
       storeRef.store.dispatch(
         getPosts.initiate(1, {
           subscriptionOptions: {
             pollingInterval: 10,
-            skipPollOnFocusLost: false,
+            skipPollingIfUnfocused: false,
           },
           subscribe: true,
         })
@@ -213,15 +219,15 @@ describe('polling tests', () => {
 
     await delay(1)
     expect(Object.keys(getSubs())).toHaveLength(1)
-    expect(getSubs()[requestId].skipPollOnFocusLost).toBe(false)
+    expect(getSubs()[requestId].skipPollingIfUnfocused).toBe(false)
 
     subscription.updateSubscriptionOptions({
       pollingInterval: 20,
-      skipPollOnFocusLost: true,
+      skipPollingIfUnfocused: true,
     })
 
     await delay(1)
     expect(Object.keys(getSubs())).toHaveLength(1)
-    expect(getSubs()[requestId].skipPollOnFocusLost).toBe(true)
+    expect(getSubs()[requestId].skipPollingIfUnfocused).toBe(true)
   })
 })