diff --git a/source/templates.tex b/source/templates.tex
index 9c0e511ef7..04cfde695d 100644
--- a/source/templates.tex
+++ b/source/templates.tex
@@ -2460,8 +2460,10 @@
 
 \pnum
 \begin{note}
-The subsumption relation defines a partial ordering on constraints.
-This partial ordering is used to determine
+The subsumption relation is a preorder on constraints:
+it is reflexive and transitive,
+but two different constraints can subsume each other.
+The ordering of declarations it induces is used to determine
 \begin{itemize}
 \item the best viable candidate of non-template functions\iref{over.match.best},
 \item the address of a non-template function\iref{over.over},