diff --git a/Lib/test/test_builtin.py b/Lib/test/test_builtin.py
index c65600483258a7..9e19af0ae90fc1 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_builtin.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_builtin.py
@@ -1155,7 +1155,11 @@ def test_max(self):
             max()
 
         self.assertRaises(TypeError, max, 42)
-        self.assertRaises(ValueError, max, ())
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(
+            ValueError,
+            r'max\(\) iterable argument is empty'
+        ):
+            max(())
         class BadSeq:
             def __getitem__(self, index):
                 raise ValueError
@@ -1214,7 +1218,11 @@ def test_min(self):
             min()
 
         self.assertRaises(TypeError, min, 42)
-        self.assertRaises(ValueError, min, ())
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(
+            ValueError,
+            r'min\(\) iterable argument is empty'
+        ):
+            min(())
         class BadSeq:
             def __getitem__(self, index):
                 raise ValueError
diff --git a/Python/bltinmodule.c b/Python/bltinmodule.c
index 599cc18361ac05..f97dd67269a270 100644
--- a/Python/bltinmodule.c
+++ b/Python/bltinmodule.c
@@ -1814,7 +1814,7 @@ min_max(PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds, int op)
             maxitem = Py_NewRef(defaultval);
         } else {
             PyErr_Format(PyExc_ValueError,
-                         "%s() arg is an empty sequence", name);
+                         "%s() iterable argument is empty", name);
         }
     }
     else