diff --git a/doc/api/next_api_changes/deprecations.rst b/doc/api/next_api_changes/deprecations.rst
index c5e2db4116ea..560c43c2c0fb 100644
--- a/doc/api/next_api_changes/deprecations.rst
+++ b/doc/api/next_api_changes/deprecations.rst
@@ -395,3 +395,6 @@ This method is deprecated.  Use the ``GridSpec.nrows``, ``GridSpec.ncols``,
 Qt4-based backends
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 The qt4agg and qt4cairo backends are deprecated.
+
+*fontdict* and *minor* parameters of `.Axes.set_xticklabels` and `.Axes.set_yticklabels` will become keyword-only
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/axes/_base.py b/lib/matplotlib/axes/_base.py
index a8baddedd6d8..9088b6c3df9a 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/axes/_base.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/axes/_base.py
@@ -3422,6 +3422,7 @@ def get_xticklabels(self, minor=False, which=None):
         """
         return self.xaxis.get_ticklabels(minor=minor, which=which)
 
+    @cbook._make_keyword_only("3.3", "fontdict")
     def set_xticklabels(self, labels, fontdict=None, minor=False, **kwargs):
         """
         Set the x-tick labels with list of string labels.
@@ -3815,6 +3816,7 @@ def get_yticklabels(self, minor=False, which=None):
         """
         return self.yaxis.get_ticklabels(minor=minor, which=which)
 
+    @cbook._make_keyword_only("3.3", "fontdict")
     def set_yticklabels(self, labels, fontdict=None, minor=False, **kwargs):
         """
         Set the y-tick labels with list of string labels.