diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/artist.py b/lib/matplotlib/artist.py
index 7244989eb0ad..810f0bf89cf0 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/artist.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/artist.py
@@ -1161,7 +1161,7 @@ def get_valid_values(self, attr):
         if docstring is None:
             return 'unknown'
 
-        if docstring.startswith('alias for '):
+        if docstring.startswith('Alias for '):
             return None
 
         match = self._get_valid_values_regex.search(docstring)
@@ -1231,7 +1231,7 @@ def is_alias(self, o):
         ds = o.__doc__
         if ds is None:
             return False
-        return ds.startswith('alias for ')
+        return ds.startswith('Alias for ')
 
     def aliased_name(self, s):
         """
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/cbook/__init__.py b/lib/matplotlib/cbook/__init__.py
index 3afa4a524ac2..74a1c7edba96 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/cbook/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/cbook/__init__.py
@@ -1927,7 +1927,7 @@ def method(self, *args, **kwargs):
                 for alias in aliases:
                     method = make_alias(prefix + prop)
                     method.__name__ = prefix + alias
-                    method.__doc__ = "alias for `{}`".format(prefix + prop)
+                    method.__doc__ = "Alias for `{}`.".format(prefix + prop)
                     setattr(cls, prefix + alias, method)
         if not exists:
             raise ValueError(
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/mlab.py b/lib/matplotlib/mlab.py
index 7bccfa6c8b0b..f7bff33622cb 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/mlab.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/mlab.py
@@ -1440,7 +1440,7 @@ def longest_contiguous_ones(x):
 
 @cbook.deprecated('2.2')
 def longest_ones(x):
-    '''alias for longest_contiguous_ones'''
+    '''Alias for longest_contiguous_ones.'''
     return longest_contiguous_ones(x)
 
 
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/text.py b/lib/matplotlib/text.py
index b49bac53a893..e013aad60960 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/text.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/text.py
@@ -1253,7 +1253,7 @@ def get_usetex(self):
 
     def set_fontname(self, fontname):
         """
-        alias for `.set_family`
+        Alias for `.set_family`.
 
         One-way alias only: the getter differs.