diff --git a/doc/api/events.md b/doc/api/events.md
index f608e3e859a557..577f4abfe25efd 100644
--- a/doc/api/events.md
+++ b/doc/api/events.md
@@ -27,27 +27,6 @@ The following example shows a simple `EventEmitter` instance with a single
 listener. The `eventEmitter.on()` method is used to register listeners, while
 the `eventEmitter.emit()` method is used to trigger the event.
 
-```js
-const EventEmitter = require('events');
-const util = require('util');
-
-function MyEmitter() {
-  EventEmitter.call(this);
-}
-util.inherits(MyEmitter, EventEmitter);
-
-const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
-myEmitter.on('event', () => {
-  console.log('an event occurred!');
-});
-myEmitter.emit('event');
-```
-
-Any object can become an `EventEmitter` through inheritance. The example above
-uses the traditional Node.js style prototypical inheritance using
-the `util.inherits()` method. It is, however, possible to use ES6 classes as
-well:
-
 ```js
 const EventEmitter = require('events');
 
diff --git a/doc/api/stream.md b/doc/api/stream.md
index 9a981288f1f617..be36b64b9ef478 100644
--- a/doc/api/stream.md
+++ b/doc/api/stream.md
@@ -741,8 +741,8 @@ the [`'drain'`][] event before writing more data.
 
 To implement any sort of stream, the pattern is the same:
 
-1. Extend the appropriate parent class in your own subclass. (The
-   [`util.inherits()`][] method is particularly helpful for this.)
+1. Extend the appropriate parent class in your own subclass via the `extends`
+   keyword.
 2. Call the appropriate parent class constructor in your constructor,
    to be sure that the internal mechanisms are set up properly.
 3. Implement one or more specific methods, as detailed below.
@@ -945,31 +945,31 @@ could wrap the low-level source object by doing something like this:
 // and an `ondata` member that gets called when it has data, and
 // an `onend` member that gets called when the data is over.
 
-util.inherits(SourceWrapper, Readable);
 
-function SourceWrapper(options) {
-  Readable.call(this, options);
+class SourceWrapper extends Readable {
+  constructor(options) {
+    super(options);
 
-  this._source = getLowlevelSourceObject();
+    this._source = getLowlevelSourceObject();
 
-  // Every time there's data, we push it into the internal buffer.
-  this._source.ondata = (chunk) => {
-    // if push() returns false, then we need to stop reading from source
-    if (!this.push(chunk))
-      this._source.readStop();
-  };
+    // Every time there's data, we push it into the internal buffer.
+    this._source.ondata = (chunk) => {
+      // if push() returns false, then we need to stop reading from source
+      if (!this.push(chunk))
+        this._source.readStop();
+    };
 
-  // When the source ends, we push the EOF-signaling `null` chunk
-  this._source.onend = () => {
-    this.push(null);
-  };
+    // When the source ends, we push the EOF-signaling `null` chunk
+    this._source.onend = () => {
+      this.push(null);
+    };
+  }
+  // _read will be called when the stream wants to pull more data in
+  // the advisory size argument is ignored in this case.
+  _read(size) {
+    this._source.readStart();
+  }
 }
-
-// _read will be called when the stream wants to pull more data in
-// the advisory size argument is ignored in this case.
-SourceWrapper.prototype._read = function(size) {
-  this._source.readStart();
-};
 ```
 
 #### Example: A Counting Stream
@@ -981,25 +981,25 @@ from 1 to 1,000,000 in ascending order, and then ends.
 
 ```js
 const Readable = require('stream').Readable;
-const util = require('util');
-util.inherits(Counter, Readable);
 
-function Counter(opt) {
-  Readable.call(this, opt);
-  this._max = 1000000;
-  this._index = 1;
-}
+class Counter extends Readable {
+  constructor(opt) {
+    super(opt);
+    this._max = 1000000;
+    this._index = 1;
+  }
 
-Counter.prototype._read = function() {
-  var i = this._index++;
-  if (i > this._max)
-    this.push(null);
-  else {
-    var str = '' + i;
-    var buf = Buffer.from(str, 'ascii');
-    this.push(buf);
+  _read() {
+    var i = this._index++;
+    if (i > this._max)
+      this.push(null);
+    else {
+      var str = '' + i;
+      var buf = Buffer.from(str, 'ascii');
+      this.push(buf);
+    }
   }
-};
+}
 ```
 
 #### Example: SimpleProtocol v1 (Sub-optimal)
@@ -1022,94 +1022,90 @@ However, this would be better implemented as a [Transform][] stream. See
 // alternative example below under the Transform section.
 
 const Readable = require('stream').Readable;
-const util = require('util');
-
-util.inherits(SimpleProtocol, Readable);
 
-function SimpleProtocol(source, options) {
-  if (!(this instanceof SimpleProtocol))
-    return new SimpleProtocol(source, options);
+class SimpleProtocol extends Readable {
+  constructor(source, options) {
+    super(options);
 
-  Readable.call(this, options);
-  this._inBody = false;
-  this._sawFirstCr = false;
+    this._inBody = false;
+    this._sawFirstCr = false;
 
-  // source is a readable stream, such as a socket or file
-  this._source = source;
+    // source is a readable stream, such as a socket or file
+    this._source = source;
 
-  source.on('end', () => {
-    this.push(null);
-  });
+    source.on('end', () => {
+      this.push(null);
+    });
 
-  // give it a kick whenever the source is readable
-  // read(0) will not consume any bytes
-  source.on('readable', () => {
-    this.read(0);
-  });
+    // give it a kick whenever the source is readable
+    // read(0) will not consume any bytes
+    source.on('readable', () => {
+      this.read(0);
+    });
 
-  this._rawHeader = [];
-  this.header = null;
-}
+    this._rawHeader = [];
+    this.header = null;
+  }
 
-SimpleProtocol.prototype._read = function(n) {
-  if (!this._inBody) {
-    var chunk = this._source.read();
-
-    // if the source doesn't have data, we don't have data yet.
-    if (chunk === null)
-      return this.push('');
-
-    // check if the chunk has a \n\n
-    var split = -1;
-    for (var i = 0; i < chunk.length; i++) {
-      if (chunk[i] === 10) { // '\n'
-        if (this._sawFirstCr) {
-          split = i;
-          break;
+  _read(n) {
+    if (!this._inBody) {
+      var chunk = this._source.read();
+
+      // if the source doesn't have data, we don't have data yet.
+      if (chunk === null)
+        return this.push('');
+
+      // check if the chunk has a \n\n
+      var split = -1;
+      for (var i = 0; i < chunk.length; i++) {
+        if (chunk[i] === 10) { // '\n'
+          if (this._sawFirstCr) {
+            split = i;
+            break;
+          } else {
+            this._sawFirstCr = true;
+          }
         } else {
-          this._sawFirstCr = true;
+          this._sawFirstCr = false;
         }
-      } else {
-        this._sawFirstCr = false;
       }
-    }
 
-    if (split === -1) {
-      // still waiting for the \n\n
-      // stash the chunk, and try again.
-      this._rawHeader.push(chunk);
-      this.push('');
-    } else {
-      this._inBody = true;
-      var h = chunk.slice(0, split);
-      this._rawHeader.push(h);
-      var header = Buffer.concat(this._rawHeader).toString();
-      try {
-        this.header = JSON.parse(header);
-      } catch (er) {
-        this.emit('error', new Error('invalid simple protocol data'));
-        return;
+      if (split === -1) {
+        // still waiting for the \n\n
+        // stash the chunk, and try again.
+        this._rawHeader.push(chunk);
+        this.push('');
+      } else {
+        this._inBody = true;
+        var h = chunk.slice(0, split);
+        this._rawHeader.push(h);
+        var header = Buffer.concat(this._rawHeader).toString();
+        try {
+          this.header = JSON.parse(header);
+        } catch (er) {
+          this.emit('error', new Error('invalid simple protocol data'));
+          return;
+        }
+        // now, because we got some extra data, unshift the rest
+        // back into the read queue so that our consumer will see it.
+        var b = chunk.slice(split);
+        this.unshift(b);
+        // calling unshift by itself does not reset the reading state
+        // of the stream; since we're inside _read, doing an additional
+        // push('') will reset the state appropriately.
+        this.push('');
+
+        // and let them know that we are done parsing the header.
+        this.emit('header', this.header);
       }
-      // now, because we got some extra data, unshift the rest
-      // back into the read queue so that our consumer will see it.
-      var b = chunk.slice(split);
-      this.unshift(b);
-      // calling unshift by itself does not reset the reading state
-      // of the stream; since we're inside _read, doing an additional
-      // push('') will reset the state appropriately.
-      this.push('');
-
-      // and let them know that we are done parsing the header.
-      this.emit('header', this.header);
+    } else {
+      // from there on, just provide the data to our consumer.
+      // careful not to push(null), since that would indicate EOF.
+      var chunk = this._source.read();
+      if (chunk) this.push(chunk);
     }
-  } else {
-    // from there on, just provide the data to our consumer.
-    // careful not to push(null), since that would indicate EOF.
-    var chunk = this._source.read();
-    if (chunk) this.push(chunk);
   }
-};
-
+}
 // Usage:
 // var parser = new SimpleProtocol(source);
 // Now parser is a readable stream that will emit 'header'
@@ -1242,66 +1238,63 @@ would be piped into the parser, which is a more idiomatic Node.js stream
 approach.
 
 ```javascript
-const util = require('util');
 const Transform = require('stream').Transform;
-util.inherits(SimpleProtocol, Transform);
 
-function SimpleProtocol(options) {
-  if (!(this instanceof SimpleProtocol))
-    return new SimpleProtocol(options);
+class SimpleProtocol extends Transform {
+  constructor(options) {
+    super(options);
 
-  Transform.call(this, options);
-  this._inBody = false;
-  this._sawFirstCr = false;
-  this._rawHeader = [];
-  this.header = null;
-}
+    this._inBody = false;
+    this._sawFirstCr = false;
+    this._rawHeader = [];
+    this.header = null;
+  }
 
-SimpleProtocol.prototype._transform = function(chunk, encoding, done) {
-  if (!this._inBody) {
-    // check if the chunk has a \n\n
-    var split = -1;
-    for (var i = 0; i < chunk.length; i++) {
-      if (chunk[i] === 10) { // '\n'
-        if (this._sawFirstCr) {
-          split = i;
-          break;
+  _transform(chunk, encoding, done) {
+    if (!this._inBody) {
+      // check if the chunk has a \n\n
+      var split = -1;
+      for (var i = 0; i < chunk.length; i++) {
+        if (chunk[i] === 10) { // '\n'
+          if (this._sawFirstCr) {
+            split = i;
+            break;
+          } else {
+            this._sawFirstCr = true;
+          }
         } else {
-          this._sawFirstCr = true;
+          this._sawFirstCr = false;
         }
-      } else {
-        this._sawFirstCr = false;
       }
-    }
 
-    if (split === -1) {
-      // still waiting for the \n\n
-      // stash the chunk, and try again.
-      this._rawHeader.push(chunk);
-    } else {
-      this._inBody = true;
-      var h = chunk.slice(0, split);
-      this._rawHeader.push(h);
-      var header = Buffer.concat(this._rawHeader).toString();
-      try {
-        this.header = JSON.parse(header);
-      } catch (er) {
-        this.emit('error', new Error('invalid simple protocol data'));
-        return;
-      }
-      // and let them know that we are done parsing the header.
-      this.emit('header', this.header);
+      if (split === -1) {
+        // still waiting for the \n\n
+        // stash the chunk, and try again.
+        this._rawHeader.push(chunk);
+      } else {
+        this._inBody = true;
+        var h = chunk.slice(0, split);
+        this._rawHeader.push(h);
+        var header = Buffer.concat(this._rawHeader).toString();
+        try {
+          this.header = JSON.parse(header);
+        } catch (er) {
+          this.emit('error', new Error('invalid simple protocol data'));
+          return;
+        }
+        // and let them know that we are done parsing the header.
+        this.emit('header', this.header);
 
-      // now, because we got some extra data, emit this first.
-      this.push(chunk.slice(split));
+        // now, because we got some extra data, emit this first.
+        this.push(chunk.slice(split));
+      }
+    } else {
+      // from there on, just provide the data to our consumer as-is.
+      this.push(chunk);
     }
-  } else {
-    // from there on, just provide the data to our consumer as-is.
-    this.push(chunk);
+    done();
   }
-  done();
-};
-
+}
 // Usage:
 // var parser = new SimpleProtocol();
 // source.pipe(parser)
@@ -1636,57 +1629,54 @@ respectively. These options can be used to implement parsers and
 serializers with Transform streams.
 
 ```js
-const util = require('util');
 const StringDecoder = require('string_decoder').StringDecoder;
 const Transform = require('stream').Transform;
-util.inherits(JSONParseStream, Transform);
 
 // Gets \n-delimited JSON string data, and emits the parsed objects
-function JSONParseStream() {
-  if (!(this instanceof JSONParseStream))
-    return new JSONParseStream();
-
-  Transform.call(this, { readableObjectMode : true });
+class JSONParseStream extends Transform {
+  constructor() {
+    super({ readableObjectMode : true });
 
-  this._buffer = '';
-  this._decoder = new StringDecoder('utf8');
-}
+    this._buffer = '';
+    this._decoder = new StringDecoder('utf8');
+  }
 
-JSONParseStream.prototype._transform = function(chunk, encoding, cb) {
-  this._buffer += this._decoder.write(chunk);
-  // split on newlines
-  var lines = this._buffer.split(/\r?\n/);
-  // keep the last partial line buffered
-  this._buffer = lines.pop();
-  for (var l = 0; l < lines.length; l++) {
-    var line = lines[l];
-    try {
-      var obj = JSON.parse(line);
-    } catch (er) {
-      this.emit('error', er);
-      return;
+  _transform(chunk, encoding, cb) {
+    this._buffer += this._decoder.write(chunk);
+    // split on newlines
+    var lines = this._buffer.split(/\r?\n/);
+    // keep the last partial line buffered
+    this._buffer = lines.pop();
+    for (var l = 0; l < lines.length; l++) {
+      var line = lines[l];
+      try {
+        var obj = JSON.parse(line);
+      } catch (er) {
+        this.emit('error', er);
+        return;
+      }
+      // push the parsed object out to the readable consumer
+      this.push(obj);
     }
-    // push the parsed object out to the readable consumer
-    this.push(obj);
+    cb();
   }
-  cb();
-};
 
-JSONParseStream.prototype._flush = function(cb) {
-  // Just handle any leftover
-  var rem = this._buffer.trim();
-  if (rem) {
-    try {
-      var obj = JSON.parse(rem);
-    } catch (er) {
-      this.emit('error', er);
-      return;
+  _flush(cb) {
+    // Just handle any leftover
+    var rem = this._buffer.trim();
+    if (rem) {
+      try {
+        var obj = JSON.parse(rem);
+      } catch (er) {
+        this.emit('error', er);
+        return;
+      }
+      // push the parsed object out to the readable consumer
+      this.push(obj);
     }
-    // push the parsed object out to the readable consumer
-    this.push(obj);
+    cb();
   }
-  cb();
-};
+}
 ```
 
 ### `stream.read(0)`
@@ -1739,7 +1729,6 @@ horribly wrong.
 [`stream.unpipe()`]: #stream_readable_unpipe_destination
 [`stream.wrap()`]: #stream_readable_wrap_stream
 [`tls.CryptoStream`]: tls.html#tls_class_cryptostream
-[`util.inherits()`]: util.html#util_util_inherits_constructor_superconstructor
 [API for Stream Consumers]: #stream_api_for_stream_consumers
 [API for Stream Implementors]: #stream_api_for_stream_implementors
 [child process stdin]: child_process.html#child_process_child_stdin
diff --git a/doc/api/util.md b/doc/api/util.md
index 178e0cdb082404..c03ed7c9dcf783 100644
--- a/doc/api/util.md
+++ b/doc/api/util.md
@@ -126,6 +126,10 @@ util.format(1, 2, 3); // '1 2 3'
 
 ## util.inherits(constructor, superConstructor)
 
+_Note: usage of util.inherits() is discouraged. Please use the ES6 `class` and
+`extends` keywords to get language level inheritance support. Also note that
+the two styles are [semantically incompatible][]._
+
 Inherit the prototype methods from one [constructor][] into another.  The
 prototype of `constructor` will be set to a new object created from
 `superConstructor`.
@@ -588,6 +592,7 @@ similar built-in functionality through `Object.assign`.
 
 [`Array.isArray`]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Array/isArray
 [constructor]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Object/constructor
+[semantically incompatible]: https://github.com/nodejs/node/issues/4179
 [Customizing `util.inspect` colors]: #util_customizing_util_inspect_colors
 [here]: #util_customizing_util_inspect_colors
 [`Error`]: errors.html#errors_class_error