diff --git a/asm/error.c b/asm/error.c
index e5e0a1cc..8e5ec7f3 100644
--- a/asm/error.c
+++ b/asm/error.c
@@ -46,34 +46,38 @@
  * Description of the suppressible warnings for the command line and
  * the [warning] directive.
  */
+#define on	(WARN_ST_ENABLED)
+#define off	0
+#define err	(WARN_ST_ENABLED|WARN_ST_ERROR)
+
 const struct warning warnings[WARN_ALL+1] = {
-    {NULL, NULL, true},	/* must be true - used for unconditional enable */
-    {"macro-params", "macro calls with wrong parameter count", true},
-    {"macro-selfref", "cyclic macro references", false},
-    {"macro-defaults", "macros with more default than optional parameters", true},
-    {"orphan-labels", "labels alone on lines without trailing `:'", true},
-    {"number-overflow", "numeric constant does not fit", true},
-    {"gnu-elf-extensions", "using 8- or 16-bit relocation in ELF32, a GNU extension", false},
-    {"float-overflow", "floating point overflow", true},
-    {"float-denorm", "floating point denormal", false},
-    {"float-underflow", "floating point underflow", false},
-    {"float-toolong", "too many digits in floating-point number", true},
-    {"user", "%warning directives", true},
-    {"lock", "lock prefix on unlockable instructions", true},
-    {"hle", "invalid hle prefixes", true},
-    {"bnd", "invalid bnd prefixes", true},
-    {"zext-reloc", "relocation zero-extended to match output format", true},
-    {"ptr", "non-NASM keyword used in other assemblers", true},
-    {"bad-pragma", "empty or malformed %pragma", false},
-    {"unknown-pragma", "unknown %pragma facility or directive", false},
-    {"not-my-pragma", "%pragma not applicable to this compilation", false},
-    {"unknown-warning", "unknown warning in -W/-w or warning directive", false},
-    {"negative-rep", "regative %rep count", true},
-    {"phase", "phase error during stabilization", false},
+    {NULL, NULL, on},	/* must be on - used for unconditional enable */
+    {"macro-params", "macro calls with wrong parameter count", on},
+    {"macro-selfref", "cyclic macro references", off},
+    {"macro-defaults", "macros with more default than optional parameters", on},
+    {"orphan-labels", "labels alone on lines without trailing `:'", on},
+    {"number-overflow", "numeric constant does not fit", on},
+    {"gnu-elf-extensions", "using 8- or 16-bit relocation in ELF32, a GNU extension", off},
+    {"float-overflow", "floating point overflow", on},
+    {"float-denorm", "floating point denormal", off},
+    {"float-underflow", "floating point underflow", off},
+    {"float-toolong", "too many digits in floating-point number", on},
+    {"user", "%warning directives", on},
+    {"lock", "lock prefix on unlockable instructions", on},
+    {"hle", "invalid hle prefixes", on},
+    {"bnd", "invalid bnd prefixes", on},
+    {"zext-reloc", "relocation zero-extended to match output format", on},
+    {"ptr", "non-NASM keyword used in other assemblers", on},
+    {"bad-pragma", "empty or malformed %pragma", off},
+    {"unknown-pragma", "unknown %pragma facility or directive", off},
+    {"not-my-pragma", "%pragma not applicable to this compilation", off},
+    {"unknown-warning", "unknown warning in -W/-w or warning directive", off},
+    {"negative-rep", "regative %rep count", on},
+    {"phase", "phase error during stabilization", off},
 
     /* THESE ENTRIES SHOULD COME LAST */
-    {"other", "any warning not specifially mentioned below", true},
-    {"all", "all possible warnings", false}
+    {"other", "any warning not specifially mentioned below", on},
+    {"all", "all possible warnings", off}
 };
 
 uint8_t warning_state[WARN_ALL];/* Current state */
@@ -120,7 +124,7 @@ fatal_func nasm_assert_failed(const char *file, int line, const char *msg)
 
 /*
  * This is called when processing a -w or -W option, or a warning directive.
- * Returns true if if the action was successful.
+ * Returns on if if the action was successful.
  */
 bool set_warning_status(const char *value)
 {
diff --git a/asm/nasm.c b/asm/nasm.c
index bf76fb97..ac3cd1c2 100644
--- a/asm/nasm.c
+++ b/asm/nasm.c
@@ -1346,10 +1346,8 @@ static void parse_cmdline(int argc, char **argv, int pass)
      * Initialize all the warnings to their default state, including
      * warning index 0 used for "always on".
      */
-    for (i = 0; i < WARN_ALL; i++) {
-        warning_state_init[i] = warning_state[i] =
-	    warnings[i].enabled ? WARN_ST_ENABLED : 0;
-    }
+    for (i = 0; i < WARN_ALL; i++)
+        warning_state_init[i] = warning_state[i] = warnings[i].state;
 
     /*
      * First, process the NASMENV environment variable.
@@ -2059,7 +2057,8 @@ static void help(const char xopt)
         printf("    %-23s %s%s\n",
                warnings[i].name, warnings[i].help,
                i == WARN_ALL ? "\n" :
-               warnings[i].enabled ? " [on]" : " [off]");
+               (warnings[i].state & WARN_ST_ERROR) ? " [error]" :
+               (warnings[i].state & WARN_ST_ENABLED) ? " [on]" : " [off]");
 
     if (xopt == 'f') {
         printf("valid output formats for -f are"
diff --git a/include/error.h b/include/error.h
index 1d904849..cd64a497 100644
--- a/include/error.h
+++ b/include/error.h
@@ -120,17 +120,16 @@ static inline vefunc nasm_set_verror(vefunc ve)
 #define WARN_ALL		(22+2) /* Do not use WARN() here */
 #define WARN_OTHER		WARN(WARN_ALL-1) /* any noncategorized warning */
 
-struct warning {
-    const char *name;
-    const char *help;
-    bool enabled;
-};
-extern const struct warning warnings[WARN_ALL+1];
-
 /* This is a bitmask */
 #define WARN_ST_ENABLED      1   /* Warning is currently enabled */
 #define WARN_ST_ERROR        2   /* Treat this warning as an error */
 
+struct warning {
+    const char *name;
+    const char *help;
+    uint8_t state;              /* Default state for this warning */
+};
+extern const struct warning warnings[WARN_ALL+1];
 extern uint8_t warning_state[WARN_ALL];
 extern uint8_t warning_state_init[WARN_ALL];