diff --git a/src/components/views/settings/tabs/user/PreferencesUserSettingsTab.js b/src/components/views/settings/tabs/user/PreferencesUserSettingsTab.js
index 09b9151ddc..ba6695ecf1 100644
--- a/src/components/views/settings/tabs/user/PreferencesUserSettingsTab.js
+++ b/src/components/views/settings/tabs/user/PreferencesUserSettingsTab.js
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ export default class PreferencesUserSettingsTab extends React.Component {
     ];
 
     static ROOM_LIST_SETTINGS = [
-        'RoomList.orderByRecents',
+        'RoomList.orderAlphabetically',
         'RoomList.orderByImportance',
         'breadcrumbs',
     ];
diff --git a/src/settings/Settings.js b/src/settings/Settings.js
index b35301f124..e384aa8f0f 100644
--- a/src/settings/Settings.js
+++ b/src/settings/Settings.js
@@ -433,10 +433,11 @@ export const SETTINGS = {
             deny: [],
         },
     },
-    "RoomList.orderByRecents": {
+    "RoomList.orderAlphabetically": {
         supportedLevels: LEVELS_ACCOUNT_SETTINGS,
-        displayName: _td("Order rooms by message activity instead of by name"),
+        displayName: _td("Order rooms alphabetically by name instead of by recent activity"),
         default: true,
+        invertedSettingName: "RoomList.orderByRecents",
     },
     "RoomList.orderByImportance": {
         supportedLevels: LEVELS_ACCOUNT_SETTINGS,
diff --git a/src/stores/RoomListStore.js b/src/stores/RoomListStore.js
index e0d60c3eac..30b523d35d 100644
--- a/src/stores/RoomListStore.js
+++ b/src/stores/RoomListStore.js
@@ -133,8 +133,8 @@ class RoomListStore extends Store {
             orderImportantFirst: false,
         };
 
+        SettingsStore.monitorSetting('RoomList.orderAlphabetically', null);
         SettingsStore.monitorSetting('RoomList.orderByImportance', null);
-        SettingsStore.monitorSetting('RoomList.orderByRecents', null);
         SettingsStore.monitorSetting('feature_custom_tags', null);
     }
 
@@ -161,8 +161,8 @@ class RoomListStore extends Store {
                 if (!logicallyReady) break;
 
                 switch (payload.settingName) {
-                    case "RoomList.orderByRecents":
-                        this.updateSortingAlgorithm(payload.newValue ? ALGO_RECENT : ALGO_ALPHABETIC,
+                    case "RoomList.orderAlphabetically":
+                        this.updateSortingAlgorithm(payload.newValue ? ALGO_ALPHABETIC : ALGO_RECENT,
                             this._state.orderImportantFirst);
                         break;
                     case "RoomList.orderByImportance":
@@ -189,9 +189,9 @@ class RoomListStore extends Store {
 
                 this._matrixClient = payload.matrixClient;
 
-                const orderByRecents = SettingsStore.getValue("RoomList.orderByRecents");
                 const orderByImportance = SettingsStore.getValue("RoomList.orderByImportance");
-                this.updateSortingAlgorithm(orderByRecents ? ALGO_RECENT : ALGO_ALPHABETIC, orderByImportance);
+                const orderAlphabetically = SettingsStore.getValue("RoomList.orderAlphabetically");
+                this.updateSortingAlgorithm(orderAlphabetically ? ALGO_ALPHABETIC : ALGO_RECENT, orderByImportance);
             }
             break;
             case 'MatrixActions.Room.receipt': {