diff --git a/lib/jasmine-core/jasmine.js b/lib/jasmine-core/jasmine.js
index 215b6b59..99236bb1 100644
--- a/lib/jasmine-core/jasmine.js
+++ b/lib/jasmine-core/jasmine.js
@@ -2851,6 +2851,8 @@ getJasmineRequireObj().ExceptionFormatter = function(j$) {
 
       if (error.name && error.message) {
         message += error.name + ': ' + error.message;
+      } else if (error.message) {
+        message += error.message;
       } else {
         message += error.toString() + ' thrown';
       }
diff --git a/spec/core/ExceptionFormatterSpec.js b/spec/core/ExceptionFormatterSpec.js
index 95a476b0..9cc3638b 100644
--- a/spec/core/ExceptionFormatterSpec.js
+++ b/spec/core/ExceptionFormatterSpec.js
@@ -37,6 +37,28 @@ describe("ExceptionFormatter", function() {
       expect(message).toEqual('A Classic Mistake: you got your foo in my bar');
     });
 
+    it('formats unnamed exceptions with message', function() {
+      var unnamedError = {message: 'This is an unnamed error message.'};
+
+      var exceptionFormatter = new jasmineUnderTest.ExceptionFormatter(),
+          message = exceptionFormatter.message(unnamedError);
+
+      expect(message).toEqual('This is an unnamed error message.');
+    });
+
+    it('formats empty exceptions with toString format', function() {
+      var EmptyError = function() {};
+      EmptyError.prototype.toString = function() {
+        return '[EmptyError]';
+      };
+      var emptyError = new EmptyError();
+
+      var exceptionFormatter = new jasmineUnderTest.ExceptionFormatter(),
+          message = exceptionFormatter.message(emptyError);
+
+      expect(message).toEqual('[EmptyError] thrown');
+    });
+
     it("formats thrown exceptions that aren't errors", function() {
       var thrown = "crazy error",
           exceptionFormatter = new jasmineUnderTest.ExceptionFormatter(),
diff --git a/src/core/ExceptionFormatter.js b/src/core/ExceptionFormatter.js
index 359a8303..329418ab 100644
--- a/src/core/ExceptionFormatter.js
+++ b/src/core/ExceptionFormatter.js
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ getJasmineRequireObj().ExceptionFormatter = function(j$) {
 
       if (error.name && error.message) {
         message += error.name + ': ' + error.message;
+      } else if (error.message) {
+        message += error.message;
       } else {
         message += error.toString() + ' thrown';
       }