diff --git a/libtcc.c b/libtcc.c
index f8547a81..b8ae60b7 100644
--- a/libtcc.c
+++ b/libtcc.c
@@ -542,9 +542,9 @@ static void error1(int mode, const char *fmt, va_list ap)
         tcc_exit_state();
 
     if (mode == ERROR_WARN) {
-        if (s1->warn_none)
+        if (s1->warn_mask & WARN_DISABLED)
             return;
-        if (s1->warn_mask & (WARN_ERROR << WARN_ERROR_SHIFT))
+        if (s1->warn_mask & WARN_ERROR_MASK) /* XXX individual ignorance */
             mode = ERROR_ERROR;
     }
 
@@ -1976,12 +1976,12 @@ reparse:
             }
             break;
         case TCC_OPTION_W:
-            s->warn_none = 0;
+            s->warn_mask &= ~WARN_DISABLED;
             if (optarg[0] && set_W_flag(s, optarg) < 0)
                 goto unsupported_option;
             break;
         case TCC_OPTION_w:
-            s->warn_none = 1;
+            s->warn_mask |= WARN_DISABLED;
             break;
         case TCC_OPTION_rdynamic:
             s->rdynamic = 1;
diff --git a/tcc.c b/tcc.c
index e868281d..f2915a39 100644
--- a/tcc.c
+++ b/tcc.c
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ static const char help[] =
     "  -std=c99     Conform to the ISO 1999 C standard (default).\n"
     "  -std=c11     Conform to the ISO 2011 C standard.\n"
     "  -Wwarning    set or reset (with 'no-' prefix) 'warning' (see tcc -hh)\n"
-    "  -w           disable all warnings\n"
+    "  -w           disable all warnings and their consequences\n"
     "  --version -v show version\n"
     "  -vv          show search paths or loaded files\n"
     "  -h -hh       show this, show more help\n"
@@ -101,12 +101,12 @@ static const char help2[] =
     "  -dt                           with -run/-E: auto-define 'test_...' macros\n"
     "Ignored options:\n"
     "  --param  -pedantic  -pipe  -s  -traditional\n"
-    "-W... warnings:\n"
+    "-W[no-]... warnings:\n"
     "  all                           turn on some (*) warnings\n"
-    "  error                         stop after first warning\n"
-    "  unsupported                   warn about ignored options, pragmas, etc.\n"
-    "  write-strings                 strings are const\n"
-    "  implicit-function-declaration warn for missing prototype (*)\n"
+    "  error[=(X)]                   error out after first warning (for X)\n"
+    "  unsupported                   warn for ignored options, pragmas,.. (X)\n"
+    "  write-strings                 strings are const (*,X)\n"
+    "  implicit-function-declaration warn for missing prototype (*,X)\n"
     "-f[no-]... flags:\n"
     "  unsigned-char                 default char is unsigned\n"
     "  signed-char                   default char is signed\n"
diff --git a/tcc.h b/tcc.h
index cacd1381..c8ecbc84 100644
--- a/tcc.h
+++ b/tcc.h
@@ -744,10 +744,16 @@ enum warn_option {
     WARN_GCC_COMPAT = 1u<<1,
     WARN_WRITE_STRINGS = 1u<<2,
     WARN_IMPLICIT_FUNCTION_DECLARATION = 1u<<3,
-    WARN_ERROR = 1u<<4, /* Not really as such in warn area, here only "MAX" */
-    WARN_ALL = WARN_ERROR - 1
+    /* _ERROR is in lower as "max", there is no warning for it */
+    WARN_ERROR = 1u<<4,
+    WARN_ALL = WARN_ERROR - 1,
+    /* Is neither in lower nor upper: disables warnings and errors (-w) */
+    WARN_DISABLED = WARN_ERROR << 1
+};
+enum {
+    WARN_ERROR_SHIFT = 16u,
+    WARN_ERROR_MASK = (WARN_ALL | WARN_ERROR) << WARN_ERROR_SHIFT
 };
-enum {WARN_ERROR_SHIFT = 16u};
 
 struct TCCState {
     unsigned char verbose; /* if true, display some information during compilation */
@@ -779,7 +785,6 @@ struct TCCState {
     unsigned char dollars_in_identifiers;  /* allows '$' char in identifiers */
     unsigned char ms_bitfields; /* if true, emulate MS algorithm for aligning bitfields */
 
-    unsigned char warn_none;
     /* NEED_WARNING(SELF,X) used to drive W[[no-]error]=X */
     uint32_t warn_mask;
 #define NEED_WARNING(SELF,SWITCH) \