diff --git a/loopy/kernel/instruction.py b/loopy/kernel/instruction.py
index a2991c47bd9b671cb0ac5e097a0b47a02529a3a8..6510da4daf0d9c47ee33383616187d93ad919a06 100644
--- a/loopy/kernel/instruction.py
+++ b/loopy/kernel/instruction.py
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ class InstructionBase(ImmutableRecord):
 
     .. attribute:: no_sync_with
 
-        a :class:`frozenset` of tuples of the form `(insn_id, scope)`, where
+        a :class:`frozenset` of tuples of the form ``(insn_id, scope)``, where
         `insn_id` refers to :attr:`id` of :class:`Instruction` instances
         and `scope` is one of the following strings:
 
@@ -99,11 +99,12 @@ class InstructionBase(ImmutableRecord):
            - `"global"`
            - `"any"`.
 
-        This indicates (symmetrically) that program semantics are not affected by
-        execution ordering of the involved instructions. In particular,
-        no barrier synchronization will be considered necessary with the given
-        instruction using barriers of type `scope`, even given the existence of
-        a dependency chain and apparently conflicting access.
+         An element ``(insn_id, scope)`` means "no conflicting variable access
+         for variables of ``scope`` between this instruction and ``insn_id``.
+         Specifically, loopy will not complain even if it detects that accesses
+         potentially requiring ordering (e.g. by dependencies) exist, and it
+         will not emit barriers to guard any dependencies from this
+         instruction on ``insn_id`` that may exist.
 
         Note, that :attr:`no_sync_with` allows instruction matching through wildcards
         and match expression, just like :attr:`depends_on`.