diff --git a/tracing-core/src/dispatcher.rs b/tracing-core/src/dispatcher.rs
index 041722c366..a3661817c0 100644
--- a/tracing-core/src/dispatcher.rs
+++ b/tracing-core/src/dispatcher.rs
@@ -293,14 +293,21 @@ pub fn has_been_set() -> bool {
 }
 
 /// Returned if setting the global dispatcher fails.
-#[derive(Debug)]
 pub struct SetGlobalDefaultError {
     _no_construct: (),
 }
 
+impl fmt::Debug for SetGlobalDefaultError {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
+        f.debug_tuple("SetGlobalDefaultError")
+            .field(&Self::MESSAGE)
+            .finish()
+    }
+}
+
 impl fmt::Display for SetGlobalDefaultError {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
-        f.pad("a global default trace dispatcher has already been set")
+        f.pad(Self::MESSAGE)
     }
 }
 
@@ -308,6 +315,10 @@ impl fmt::Display for SetGlobalDefaultError {
 #[cfg_attr(docsrs, doc(cfg(feature = "std")))]
 impl error::Error for SetGlobalDefaultError {}
 
+impl SetGlobalDefaultError {
+    const MESSAGE: &'static str = "a global default trace dispatcher has already been set";
+}
+
 /// Executes a closure with a reference to this thread's current [dispatcher].
 ///
 /// Note that calls to `get_default` should not be nested; if this function is