diff --git a/streams/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/TopologyDescription.java b/streams/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/TopologyDescription.java
index abeb385573370..5d9e1cb61d07e 100644
--- a/streams/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/TopologyDescription.java
+++ b/streams/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/TopologyDescription.java
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 /**
  * A meta representation of a {@link Topology topology}.
  * <p>
- * The nodes of a topology are grouped into {@link SubtopologyDescription sub-topologies} if they are connected.
+ * The nodes of a topology are grouped into {@link Subtopology sub-topologies} if they are connected.
  * In contrast, two sub-topologies are not connected but can be linked to each other via topics, i.e., if one
  * sub-topology {@link Topology#addSink(String, String, String...) writes} into a topic and another sub-topology
  * {@link Topology#addSource(String, String...) reads} from the same topic.
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ public interface TopologyDescription {
      * {@link Topology#connectProcessorAndStateStores(String, String...) state stores}
      * (i.e., if multiple processors share the same state).
      */
-    interface SubtopologyDescription {
+    interface Subtopology {
         /**
          * Internally assigned unique ID.
          * @return the ID of the sub-topology
@@ -62,10 +62,10 @@ interface SubtopologyDescription {
      * org.apache.kafka.common.serialization.Deserializer, org.apache.kafka.common.serialization.Deserializer, String,
      * String, org.apache.kafka.streams.processor.api.ProcessorSupplier) global store}.
      * Adding a global store results in adding a source node and one stateful processor node.
-     * Note, that all added global stores form a single unit (similar to a {@link SubtopologyDescription}) even if different
+     * Note, that all added global stores form a single unit (similar to a {@link Subtopology}) even if different
      * global stores are not connected to each other.
      * Furthermore, global stores are available to all processors without connecting them explicitly, and thus global
-     * stores will never be part of any {@link SubtopologyDescription}.
+     * stores will never be part of any {@link Subtopology}.
      */
     interface GlobalStore {
         /**
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ interface Sink extends Node {
      * All sub-topologies of the represented topology.
      * @return set of all sub-topologies
      */
-    Set<SubtopologyDescription> subtopologies();
+    Set<Subtopology> subtopologies();
 
     /**
      * All global stores of the represented topology.
diff --git a/streams/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/processor/internals/InternalTopologyBuilder.java b/streams/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/processor/internals/InternalTopologyBuilder.java
index 60ca59dd5134e..37d43b41aaa63 100644
--- a/streams/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/processor/internals/InternalTopologyBuilder.java
+++ b/streams/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/processor/internals/InternalTopologyBuilder.java
@@ -1754,7 +1754,7 @@ public int hashCode() {
         }
     }
 
-    public final static class SubtopologyDescription implements org.apache.kafka.streams.TopologyDescription.SubtopologyDescription {
+    public final static class SubtopologyDescription implements TopologyDescription.Subtopology {
         private final int id;
         private final Set<TopologyDescription.Node> nodes;
 
@@ -1891,10 +1891,10 @@ public int compare(final TopologyDescription.GlobalStore globalStore1,
 
     private final static GlobalStoreComparator GLOBALSTORE_COMPARATOR = new GlobalStoreComparator();
 
-    private static class SubtopologyComparator implements Comparator<org.apache.kafka.streams.TopologyDescription.SubtopologyDescription>, Serializable {
+    private static class SubtopologyComparator implements Comparator<TopologyDescription.Subtopology>, Serializable {
         @Override
-        public int compare(final org.apache.kafka.streams.TopologyDescription.SubtopologyDescription subtopology1,
-                           final org.apache.kafka.streams.TopologyDescription.SubtopologyDescription subtopology2) {
+        public int compare(final TopologyDescription.Subtopology subtopology1,
+                           final TopologyDescription.Subtopology subtopology2) {
             if (subtopology1.equals(subtopology2)) {
                 return 0;
             }
@@ -1905,10 +1905,10 @@ public int compare(final org.apache.kafka.streams.TopologyDescription.Subtopolog
     private final static SubtopologyComparator SUBTOPOLOGY_COMPARATOR = new SubtopologyComparator();
 
     public final static class TopologyDescription implements org.apache.kafka.streams.TopologyDescription {
-        private final TreeSet<SubtopologyDescription> subtopologies = new TreeSet<>(SUBTOPOLOGY_COMPARATOR);
+        private final TreeSet<TopologyDescription.Subtopology> subtopologies = new TreeSet<>(SUBTOPOLOGY_COMPARATOR);
         private final TreeSet<TopologyDescription.GlobalStore> globalStores = new TreeSet<>(GLOBALSTORE_COMPARATOR);
 
-        public void addSubtopology(final SubtopologyDescription subtopology) {
+        public void addSubtopology(final TopologyDescription.Subtopology subtopology) {
             subtopologies.add(subtopology);
         }
 
@@ -1917,7 +1917,7 @@ public void addGlobalStore(final TopologyDescription.GlobalStore globalStore) {
         }
 
         @Override
-        public Set<SubtopologyDescription> subtopologies() {
+        public Set<TopologyDescription.Subtopology> subtopologies() {
             return Collections.unmodifiableSet(subtopologies);
         }
 
@@ -1930,8 +1930,8 @@ public Set<TopologyDescription.GlobalStore> globalStores() {
         public String toString() {
             final StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
             sb.append("Topologies:\n ");
-            final SubtopologyDescription[] sortedSubtopologies =
-                subtopologies.descendingSet().toArray(new SubtopologyDescription[0]);
+            final TopologyDescription.Subtopology[] sortedSubtopologies =
+                subtopologies.descendingSet().toArray(new TopologyDescription.Subtopology[0]);
             final TopologyDescription.GlobalStore[] sortedGlobalStores =
                 globalStores.descendingSet().toArray(new GlobalStore[0]);
             int expectedId = 0;
@@ -1939,7 +1939,7 @@ public String toString() {
             int globalStoresIndex = sortedGlobalStores.length - 1;
             while (subtopologiesIndex != -1 && globalStoresIndex != -1) {
                 sb.append("  ");
-                final SubtopologyDescription subtopology = sortedSubtopologies[subtopologiesIndex];
+                final TopologyDescription.Subtopology subtopology = sortedSubtopologies[subtopologiesIndex];
                 final TopologyDescription.GlobalStore globalStore = sortedGlobalStores[globalStoresIndex];
                 if (subtopology.id() == expectedId) {
                     sb.append(subtopology);
@@ -1951,7 +1951,7 @@ public String toString() {
                 expectedId++;
             }
             while (subtopologiesIndex != -1) {
-                final SubtopologyDescription subtopology = sortedSubtopologies[subtopologiesIndex];
+                final TopologyDescription.Subtopology subtopology = sortedSubtopologies[subtopologiesIndex];
                 sb.append("  ");
                 sb.append(subtopology);
                 subtopologiesIndex--;
diff --git a/streams/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/kstream/internals/KTableImplTest.java b/streams/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/kstream/internals/KTableImplTest.java
index c1814241db6c2..b979d3ecd7734 100644
--- a/streams/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/kstream/internals/KTableImplTest.java
+++ b/streams/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/kstream/internals/KTableImplTest.java
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 import org.apache.kafka.streams.TestInputTopic;
 import org.apache.kafka.streams.Topology;
 import org.apache.kafka.streams.TopologyDescription;
-import org.apache.kafka.streams.TopologyDescription.SubtopologyDescription;
+import org.apache.kafka.streams.TopologyDescription.Subtopology;
 import org.apache.kafka.streams.TopologyTestDriver;
 import org.apache.kafka.streams.TopologyTestDriverWrapper;
 import org.apache.kafka.streams.kstream.Consumed;
@@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ public void shouldEnableSendingOldValuesIfNotMaterializedAlreadyButForcedToMater
     }
 
     private void assertTopologyContainsProcessor(final Topology topology, final String processorName) {
-        for (final SubtopologyDescription subtopology: topology.describe().subtopologies()) {
+        for (final Subtopology subtopology: topology.describe().subtopologies()) {
             for (final TopologyDescription.Node node: subtopology.nodes()) {
                 if (node.name().equals(processorName)) {
                     return;