diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 9b5aa82b..55baf524 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -53,10 +53,6 @@
 
 - @cosmjs/utils: Added `assertDefinedAndNotNull`.
 
-### Removed
-
-- @cosmjs/utils: `assertDefined` removed in favour of `assertDefinedAndNotNull`.
-
 ## 0.23.2 (2021-01-06)
 
 ### Security
diff --git a/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/queries/wasm.spec.ts b/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/queries/wasm.spec.ts
index 48363469..78b7897f 100644
--- a/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/queries/wasm.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/cosmwasm-stargate/src/queries/wasm.spec.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import {
   parseRawLog,
   SigningStargateClient,
 } from "@cosmjs/stargate";
-import { assert, assertDefinedAndNotNull } from "@cosmjs/utils";
+import { assert, assertDefined } from "@cosmjs/utils";
 import Long from "long";
 
 import { cosmwasm } from "../codec";
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ describe("WasmExtension", () => {
         expect(codeId).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1);
         expect(codeId).toBeLessThanOrEqual(200);
 
-        assertDefinedAndNotNull(result.data);
+        assertDefined(result.data);
         const msgData = fromOneElementArray(result.data);
         expect(msgData.msgType).toEqual("store-code");
         expect(MsgStoreCodeResponse.decode(msgData.data!)).toEqual(
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ describe("WasmExtension", () => {
         const amountAttr = logs.findAttribute(parsedLogs, "transfer", "amount");
         expect(amountAttr.value).toEqual("1234ucosm,321ustake");
 
-        assertDefinedAndNotNull(result.data);
+        assertDefined(result.data);
         const msgData = fromOneElementArray(result.data);
         expect(msgData.msgType).toEqual("instantiate");
         expect(MsgInstantiateContractResponse.decode(msgData.data!)).toEqual(
@@ -441,7 +441,7 @@ describe("WasmExtension", () => {
           value: beneficiaryAddress,
         });
 
-        assertDefinedAndNotNull(result.data);
+        assertDefined(result.data);
         const msgData = fromOneElementArray(result.data);
         expect(msgData.msgType).toEqual("execute");
         expect(MsgExecuteContractResponse.decode(msgData.data!)).toEqual(
diff --git a/packages/stargate/src/queries/queryclient.ts b/packages/stargate/src/queries/queryclient.ts
index f9d636cd..31cf9ef1 100644
--- a/packages/stargate/src/queries/queryclient.ts
+++ b/packages/stargate/src/queries/queryclient.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { iavlSpec, ics23, tendermintSpec, verifyExistence, verifyNonExistence }
 import { toAscii, toHex } from "@cosmjs/encoding";
 import { firstEvent } from "@cosmjs/stream";
 import { Client as TendermintClient, Header, NewBlockHeaderEvent, ProofOp } from "@cosmjs/tendermint-rpc";
-import { arrayContentEquals, assert, assertDefinedAndNotNull, isNonNullObject, sleep } from "@cosmjs/utils";
+import { arrayContentEquals, assert, assertDefined, isNonNullObject, sleep } from "@cosmjs/utils";
 import { Stream } from "xstream";
 
 type QueryExtensionSetup<P> = (base: QueryClient) => P;
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ export class QueryClient {
   // this must return the header for height+1
   // throws an error if height is 0 or undefined
   private async getNextHeader(height?: number): Promise<Header> {
-    assertDefinedAndNotNull(height);
+    assertDefined(height);
     if (height === 0) {
       throw new Error("Query returned height 0, cannot prove it");
     }
diff --git a/packages/utils/src/assert.spec.ts b/packages/utils/src/assert.spec.ts
index d22b5c16..669405a5 100644
--- a/packages/utils/src/assert.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/utils/src/assert.spec.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,55 @@
-import { assertDefinedAndNotNull } from "./assert";
+import { assertDefined, assertDefinedAndNotNull } from "./assert";
 
 describe("assert", () => {
+  describe("assertDefined", () => {
+    it("passes for simple values", () => {
+      {
+        const value: number | undefined = 123;
+        assertDefined(value);
+        expect(value).toEqual(123);
+      }
+      {
+        const value: string | undefined = "abc";
+        assertDefined(value);
+        expect(value).toEqual("abc");
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("passes for falsy values", () => {
+      {
+        const value: number | undefined = 0;
+        assertDefined(value);
+        expect(value).toEqual(0);
+      }
+      {
+        const value: string | undefined = "";
+        assertDefined(value);
+        expect(value).toEqual("");
+      }
+      {
+        const value: null | undefined = null;
+        assertDefined(value);
+        expect(value).toBeNull();
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("throws for undefined values", () => {
+      {
+        const value: number | undefined = undefined;
+        expect(() => assertDefined(value)).toThrowError("value is undefined");
+      }
+      {
+        let value: string | undefined;
+        expect(() => assertDefined(value)).toThrowError("value is undefined");
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("throws with custom message", () => {
+      const value: number | undefined = undefined;
+      expect(() => assertDefined(value, "Bug in the data source")).toThrowError("Bug in the data source");
+    });
+  });
+
   describe("assertDefinedAndNotNull", () => {
     it("passes for simple values", () => {
       {
diff --git a/packages/utils/src/assert.ts b/packages/utils/src/assert.ts
index 14f37517..65b7ca24 100644
--- a/packages/utils/src/assert.ts
+++ b/packages/utils/src/assert.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,12 @@ export function assert(condition: any, msg?: string): asserts condition {
   }
 }
 
+export function assertDefined<T>(value: T | undefined, msg?: string): asserts value is T {
+  if (value === undefined) {
+    throw new Error(msg ?? "value is undefined");
+  }
+}
+
 export function assertDefinedAndNotNull<T>(value: T | undefined | null, msg?: string): asserts value is T {
   if (value === undefined || value === null) {
     throw new Error(msg ?? "value is undefined or null");
diff --git a/packages/utils/src/index.ts b/packages/utils/src/index.ts
index 596d63db..372b3615 100644
--- a/packages/utils/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/utils/src/index.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 export { arrayContentEquals } from "./arrays";
-export { assert, assertDefinedAndNotNull } from "./assert";
+export { assert, assertDefined, assertDefinedAndNotNull } from "./assert";
 export { sleep } from "./sleep";
 export { isNonNullObject, isUint8Array } from "./typechecks";
diff --git a/packages/utils/types/assert.d.ts b/packages/utils/types/assert.d.ts
index 65f3dfdb..36ab18e0 100644
--- a/packages/utils/types/assert.d.ts
+++ b/packages/utils/types/assert.d.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 export declare function assert(condition: any, msg?: string): asserts condition;
+export declare function assertDefined<T>(value: T | undefined, msg?: string): asserts value is T;
 export declare function assertDefinedAndNotNull<T>(
   value: T | undefined | null,
   msg?: string,
diff --git a/packages/utils/types/index.d.ts b/packages/utils/types/index.d.ts
index 596d63db..372b3615 100644
--- a/packages/utils/types/index.d.ts
+++ b/packages/utils/types/index.d.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 export { arrayContentEquals } from "./arrays";
-export { assert, assertDefinedAndNotNull } from "./assert";
+export { assert, assertDefined, assertDefinedAndNotNull } from "./assert";
 export { sleep } from "./sleep";
 export { isNonNullObject, isUint8Array } from "./typechecks";