diff --git a/lib/dao.js b/lib/dao.js
index c128b07b..96d0692a 100644
--- a/lib/dao.js
+++ b/lib/dao.js
@@ -804,9 +804,9 @@ DataAccessObject.upsertWithWhere = function(where, data, options, cb) {
         function callConnector() {
           try {
             // Support an optional where object
-            var handleUndefined = Model._getSetting('normalizeUndefinedInQuery');
+            var normalizeUndefinedInQuery = Model._getSetting('normalizeUndefinedInQuery');
             // alter configuration of how sanitizeQuery handles undefined values
-            ctx.where = Model._sanitize(ctx.where, {handleUndefined: handleUndefined});
+            ctx.where = Model._sanitize(ctx.where, {normalizeUndefinedInQuery: normalizeUndefinedInQuery});
             ctx.where = Model._coerce(ctx.where, options);
             update = Model._sanitize(update);
             update = Model._coerce(update, options);
@@ -1579,9 +1579,9 @@ DataAccessObject._normalize = function(filter, options) {
       Object.keys(this.definition.properties), this.settings.strict);
   }
 
-  var handleUndefined = this._getSetting('normalizeUndefinedInQuery');
+  var normalizeUndefinedInQuery = this._getSetting('normalizeUndefinedInQuery');
   // alter configuration of how sanitizeQuery handles undefined values
-  filter = this._sanitize(filter, {handleUndefined: handleUndefined});
+  filter = this._sanitize(filter, {normalizeUndefinedInQuery: normalizeUndefinedInQuery});
   this._coerce(filter.where, options);
   return filter;
 };
@@ -2325,9 +2325,9 @@ DataAccessObject.destroyAll = function destroyAll(where, options, cb) {
     } else {
       try {
         // Support an optional where object
-        var handleUndefined = Model._getSetting('normalizeUndefinedInQuery');
+        var normalizeUndefinedInQuery = Model._getSetting('normalizeUndefinedInQuery');
         // alter configuration of how sanitizeQuery handles undefined values
-        where = Model._sanitize(where, {handleUndefined: handleUndefined});
+        where = Model._sanitize(where, {normalizeUndefinedInQuery: normalizeUndefinedInQuery});
         where = Model._coerce(where, options);
       } catch (err) {
         return process.nextTick(function() {
@@ -2480,9 +2480,9 @@ DataAccessObject.count = function(where, options, cb) {
   where = query.where;
 
   try {
-    var handleUndefined = Model._getSetting('normalizeUndefinedInQuery');
+    var normalizeUndefinedInQuery = Model._getSetting('normalizeUndefinedInQuery');
     // alter configuration of how sanitizeQuery handles undefined values
-    where = Model._sanitize(where, {handleUndefined: handleUndefined});
+    where = Model._sanitize(where, {normalizeUndefinedInQuery: normalizeUndefinedInQuery});
     where = this._coerce(where, options);
   } catch (err) {
     process.nextTick(function() {
@@ -2775,9 +2775,9 @@ DataAccessObject.updateAll = function(where, data, options, cb) {
   function doUpdate(where, data) {
     try {
       // Support an optional where object
-      var handleUndefined = Model._getSetting('normalizeUndefinedInQuery');
+      var normalizeUndefinedInQuery = Model._getSetting('normalizeUndefinedInQuery');
       // alter configuration of how sanitizeQuery handles undefined values
-      where = Model._sanitize(where, {handleUndefined: handleUndefined});
+      where = Model._sanitize(where, {normalizeUndefinedInQuery: normalizeUndefinedInQuery});
       where = Model._coerce(where, options);
       data = Model._sanitize(data);
       data = Model._coerce(data, options);
diff --git a/lib/utils.js b/lib/utils.js
index 2d1944b0..7620dba8 100644
--- a/lib/utils.js
+++ b/lib/utils.js
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ function selectFields(fields) {
  * Sanitize the query object
  * @param query {object} The query object
  * @param options
- * @property handleUndefined {String} either "nullify", "throw" or "ignore" (default: "ignore")
+ * @property normalizeUndefinedInQuery {String} either "nullify", "throw" or "ignore" (default: "ignore")
  * @property prohibitedKeys {String[]} An array of prohibited keys to be removed
  * @returns {*}
  */
@@ -318,11 +318,11 @@ function sanitizeQuery(query, options) {
   options = options || {};
   if (typeof options === 'string') {
     // Keep it backward compatible
-    options = {handleUndefined: options};
+    options = {normalizeUndefinedInQuery: options};
   }
   const prohibitedKeys = options.prohibitedKeys;
   const offendingKeys = [];
-  const handleUndefined = options.handleUndefined;
+  const normalizeUndefinedInQuery = options.normalizeUndefinedInQuery;
   const maxDepth = options.maxDepth || 10;
   // WARNING: [rfeng] Use map() will cause mongodb to produce invalid BSON
   // as traverse doesn't transform the ObjectId correctly
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ function sanitizeQuery(query, options) {
      * Handle undefined values
      */
     if (x === undefined) {
-      switch (handleUndefined) {
+      switch (normalizeUndefinedInQuery) {
         case 'nullify':
           this.update(null);
           break;
diff --git a/test/util.test.js b/test/util.test.js
index 81593432..3874faeb 100644
--- a/test/util.test.js
+++ b/test/util.test.js
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ describe('util.sanitizeQuery', function() {
     should.deepEqual(sanitizeQuery(q5, 'nullify'), {where: {x: 1, y: null}});
 
     q5 = {where: {x: 1, y: undefined}};
-    should.deepEqual(sanitizeQuery(q5, {handleUndefined: 'nullify'}), {where: {x: 1, y: null}});
+    should.deepEqual(sanitizeQuery(q5, {normalizeUndefinedInQuery: 'nullify'}), {where: {x: 1, y: null}});
 
     var q6 = {where: {x: 1, y: undefined}};
     (function() { sanitizeQuery(q6, 'throw'); }).should.throw(/`undefined` in query/);