diff --git a/base/essentials.jl b/base/essentials.jl
index 31c746bab5d28..aba10a1a011c6 100644
--- a/base/essentials.jl
+++ b/base/essentials.jl
@@ -703,12 +703,11 @@ call obsolete versions of a function `f`.
 `f` directly, and the type of the result cannot be inferred by the compiler.)
 """
 function invokelatest(@nospecialize(f), @nospecialize args...; kwargs...)
+    kwargs = Base.merge(NamedTuple(), kwargs)
     if isempty(kwargs)
-        return Core._apply_latest(f, args)
+        return Core._call_latest(f, args...)
     end
-    # We use a closure (`inner`) to handle kwargs.
-    inner() = f(args...; kwargs...)
-    Core._apply_latest(inner)
+    return Core._call_latest(Core.kwfunc(f), kwargs, f, args...)
 end
 
 """
@@ -738,11 +737,11 @@ of [`invokelatest`](@ref).
     world age refers to system state unrelated to the main Julia session.
 """
 function invoke_in_world(world::UInt, @nospecialize(f), @nospecialize args...; kwargs...)
+    kwargs = Base.merge(NamedTuple(), kwargs)
     if isempty(kwargs)
-        return Core._apply_in_world(world, f, args)
+        return Core._call_in_world(world, f, args...)
     end
-    inner() = f(args...; kwargs...)
-    Core._apply_in_world(world, inner)
+    return Core._call_in_world(world, Core.kwfunc(f), kwargs, f, args...)
 end
 
 # TODO: possibly make this an intrinsic
diff --git a/src/builtin_proto.h b/src/builtin_proto.h
index 8021c404bd5e7..e66af64eb4118 100644
--- a/src/builtin_proto.h
+++ b/src/builtin_proto.h
@@ -23,8 +23,8 @@ DECLARE_BUILTIN(throw);      DECLARE_BUILTIN(is);
 DECLARE_BUILTIN(typeof);     DECLARE_BUILTIN(sizeof);
 DECLARE_BUILTIN(issubtype);  DECLARE_BUILTIN(isa);
 DECLARE_BUILTIN(_apply);     DECLARE_BUILTIN(_apply_pure);
-DECLARE_BUILTIN(_apply_latest); DECLARE_BUILTIN(_apply_iterate);
-DECLARE_BUILTIN(_apply_in_world);
+DECLARE_BUILTIN(_call_latest); DECLARE_BUILTIN(_apply_iterate);
+DECLARE_BUILTIN(_call_in_world);
 DECLARE_BUILTIN(isdefined);  DECLARE_BUILTIN(nfields);
 DECLARE_BUILTIN(tuple);      DECLARE_BUILTIN(svec);
 DECLARE_BUILTIN(getfield);   DECLARE_BUILTIN(setfield);
diff --git a/src/builtins.c b/src/builtins.c
index 8cbce6c5b6188..de5318b59295e 100644
--- a/src/builtins.c
+++ b/src/builtins.c
@@ -712,21 +712,21 @@ JL_CALLABLE(jl_f__apply_pure)
     return ret;
 }
 
-// this is like `_apply`, but always runs in the newest world
-JL_CALLABLE(jl_f__apply_latest)
+// this is like a regular call, but always runs in the newest world
+JL_CALLABLE(jl_f__call_latest)
 {
     jl_ptls_t ptls = jl_get_ptls_states();
     size_t last_age = ptls->world_age;
     if (!ptls->in_pure_callback)
         ptls->world_age = jl_world_counter;
-    jl_value_t *ret = jl_f__apply(NULL, args, nargs);
+    jl_value_t *ret = jl_apply(args, nargs);
     ptls->world_age = last_age;
     return ret;
 }
 
-// Like `_apply`, but runs in the specified world.
+// Like call_in_world, but runs in the specified world.
 // If world > jl_world_counter, run in the latest world.
-JL_CALLABLE(jl_f__apply_in_world)
+JL_CALLABLE(jl_f__call_in_world)
 {
     JL_NARGSV(_apply_in_world, 2);
     jl_ptls_t ptls = jl_get_ptls_states();
@@ -734,10 +734,9 @@ JL_CALLABLE(jl_f__apply_in_world)
     JL_TYPECHK(_apply_in_world, ulong, args[0]);
     size_t world = jl_unbox_ulong(args[0]);
     world = world <= jl_world_counter ? world : jl_world_counter;
-    if (!ptls->in_pure_callback) {
+    if (!ptls->in_pure_callback)
         ptls->world_age = world;
-    }
-    jl_value_t *ret = do_apply(NULL, args+1, nargs-1, NULL);
+    jl_value_t *ret = jl_apply(&args[1], nargs - 1);
     ptls->world_age = last_age;
     return ret;
 }
@@ -1555,8 +1554,8 @@ void jl_init_primitives(void) JL_GC_DISABLED
     jl_builtin__expr = add_builtin_func("_expr", jl_f__expr);
     jl_builtin_svec = add_builtin_func("svec", jl_f_svec);
     add_builtin_func("_apply_pure", jl_f__apply_pure);
-    add_builtin_func("_apply_latest", jl_f__apply_latest);
-    add_builtin_func("_apply_in_world", jl_f__apply_in_world);
+    add_builtin_func("_call_latest", jl_f__call_latest);
+    add_builtin_func("_call_in_world", jl_f__call_in_world);
     add_builtin_func("_typevar", jl_f__typevar);
     add_builtin_func("_structtype", jl_f__structtype);
     add_builtin_func("_abstracttype", jl_f__abstracttype);
diff --git a/src/codegen.cpp b/src/codegen.cpp
index a52d02a99c1ea..a4359a50abe6c 100644
--- a/src/codegen.cpp
+++ b/src/codegen.cpp
@@ -840,8 +840,8 @@ static const std::map<jl_fptr_args_t, JuliaFunction*> builtin_func_map = {
     { &jl_f__apply,             new JuliaFunction{"jl_f__apply", get_func_sig, get_func_attrs} },
     { &jl_f__apply_iterate,     new JuliaFunction{"jl_f__apply_iterate", get_func_sig, get_func_attrs} },
     { &jl_f__apply_pure,        new JuliaFunction{"jl_f__apply_pure", get_func_sig, get_func_attrs} },
-    { &jl_f__apply_latest,      new JuliaFunction{"jl_f__apply_latest", get_func_sig, get_func_attrs} },
-    { &jl_f__apply_in_world,    new JuliaFunction{"jl_f__apply_in_world", get_func_sig, get_func_attrs} },
+    { &jl_f__call_latest,       new JuliaFunction{"jl_f__call_latest", get_func_sig, get_func_attrs} },
+    { &jl_f__call_in_world,     new JuliaFunction{"jl_f__call_in_world", get_func_sig, get_func_attrs} },
     { &jl_f_throw,              new JuliaFunction{"jl_f_throw", get_func_sig, get_func_attrs} },
     { &jl_f_tuple,              jltuple_func },
     { &jl_f_svec,               new JuliaFunction{"jl_f_svec", get_func_sig, get_func_attrs} },
diff --git a/src/jl_exported_funcs.inc b/src/jl_exported_funcs.inc
index d12e8794f5ce4..4476a736c81b0 100644
--- a/src/jl_exported_funcs.inc
+++ b/src/jl_exported_funcs.inc
@@ -178,12 +178,12 @@
     XX(jl_expand_with_loc_warn) \
     XX(jl_extern_c) \
     XX(jl_f__abstracttype) \
-    XX(jl_f_applicable) \
     XX(jl_f__apply) \
-    XX(jl_f__apply_in_world) \
     XX(jl_f__apply_iterate) \
-    XX(jl_f__apply_latest) \
     XX(jl_f__apply_pure) \
+    XX(jl_f__call_in_world) \
+    XX(jl_f__call_latest) \
+    XX(jl_f_applicable) \
     XX(jl_f_apply_type) \
     XX(jl_f_arrayref) \
     XX(jl_f_arrayset) \
diff --git a/src/jlfrontend.scm b/src/jlfrontend.scm
index 39a3adc3ee467..fb3e732d41ca0 100644
--- a/src/jlfrontend.scm
+++ b/src/jlfrontend.scm
@@ -191,11 +191,11 @@
        (= (call include ,x)
           (block
            ,@loc
-           (call (core _apply_latest) (top include) (call (core svec) ,name ,x))))
+           (call (core _call_latest) (top include) ,name ,x)))
        (= (call include (:: ,mex (top Function)) ,x)
           (block
            ,@loc
-           (call (core _apply_latest) (top include) (call (core svec) ,mex ,name ,x))))))
+           (call (core _call_latest) (top include) ,mex ,name ,x)))))
    'none 0))
 
 ; run whole frontend on a string. useful for testing.
diff --git a/src/staticdata.c b/src/staticdata.c
index 5b63c6d4fcbe6..64a2063fff843 100644
--- a/src/staticdata.c
+++ b/src/staticdata.c
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ void *native_functions;
 static const jl_fptr_args_t id_to_fptrs[] = {
     &jl_f_throw, &jl_f_is, &jl_f_typeof, &jl_f_issubtype, &jl_f_isa,
     &jl_f_typeassert, &jl_f__apply, &jl_f__apply_iterate, &jl_f__apply_pure,
-    &jl_f__apply_latest, &jl_f__apply_in_world, &jl_f_isdefined,
+    &jl_f__call_latest, &jl_f__call_in_world, &jl_f_isdefined,
     &jl_f_tuple, &jl_f_svec, &jl_f_intrinsic_call, &jl_f_invoke_kwsorter,
     &jl_f_getfield, &jl_f_setfield, &jl_f_fieldtype, &jl_f_nfields,
     &jl_f_arrayref, &jl_f_const_arrayref, &jl_f_arrayset, &jl_f_arraysize, &jl_f_apply_type,
diff --git a/test/cmdlineargs.jl b/test/cmdlineargs.jl
index 46c21f9bd3346..300883773099b 100644
--- a/test/cmdlineargs.jl
+++ b/test/cmdlineargs.jl
@@ -316,15 +316,15 @@ let exename = `$(Base.julia_cmd()) --startup-file=no`
         @test popfirst!(got) == "       80     []"
         if Sys.WORD_SIZE == 64
             # P64 pools with 64 bit tags
-            @test popfirst!(got) == "       32     Base.invokelatest(g, 0)"
-            @test popfirst!(got) == "       48     Base.invokelatest(g, x)"
+            @test popfirst!(got) == "       16     Base.invokelatest(g, 0)"
+            @test popfirst!(got) == "       32     Base.invokelatest(g, x)"
         elseif 12 == (() -> @allocated ccall(:jl_gc_allocobj, Ptr{Cvoid}, (Csize_t,), 8))()
             # See if we have a 12-byte pool with 32 bit tags (MAX_ALIGN = 4)
-            @test popfirst!(got) == "       24     Base.invokelatest(g, 0)"
-            @test popfirst!(got) == "       36     Base.invokelatest(g, x)"
+            @test popfirst!(got) == "       12     Base.invokelatest(g, 0)"
+            @test popfirst!(got) == "       24     Base.invokelatest(g, x)"
         else # MAX_ALIGN >= 8
-            @test popfirst!(got) == "       16     Base.invokelatest(g, 0)"
-            @test popfirst!(got) == "       48     Base.invokelatest(g, x)"
+            @test popfirst!(got) == "        8     Base.invokelatest(g, 0)"
+            @test popfirst!(got) == "       32     Base.invokelatest(g, x)"
         end
         @test popfirst!(got) == "       80     []"
         @test popfirst!(got) == "        - end"