diff --git a/include/malloc.h b/include/malloc.h
index b77761f74d..f9c9610548 100644
--- a/include/malloc.h
+++ b/include/malloc.h
@@ -5,12 +5,6 @@
 # ifndef _ISOMAC
 #  include <rtld-malloc.h>
 
-/* In the GNU libc we rename the global variable
-   `__malloc_initialized' to `__libc_malloc_initialized'.  */
-#define __malloc_initialized __libc_malloc_initialized
-/* Nonzero if the malloc is already initialized.  */
-extern int __malloc_initialized attribute_hidden;
-
 struct malloc_state;
 typedef struct malloc_state *mstate;
 
diff --git a/malloc/arena.c b/malloc/arena.c
index 8f890d5ff0..cae3387db0 100644
--- a/malloc/arena.c
+++ b/malloc/arena.c
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ static mstate free_list;
 __libc_lock_define_initialized (static, list_lock);
 
 /* Already initialized? */
-int __malloc_initialized = -1;
+static bool __malloc_initialized = false;
 
 /**************************************************************************/
 
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ int __malloc_initialized = -1;
 void
 __malloc_fork_lock_parent (void)
 {
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 1)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     return;
 
   /* We do not acquire free_list_lock here because we completely
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ __malloc_fork_lock_parent (void)
 void
 __malloc_fork_unlock_parent (void)
 {
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 1)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     return;
 
   for (mstate ar_ptr = &main_arena;; )
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ __malloc_fork_unlock_parent (void)
 void
 __malloc_fork_unlock_child (void)
 {
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 1)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     return;
 
   /* Push all arenas to the free list, except thread_arena, which is
@@ -290,10 +290,10 @@ libc_hidden_proto (_dl_open_hook);
 static void
 ptmalloc_init (void)
 {
-  if (__malloc_initialized >= 0)
+  if (__malloc_initialized)
     return;
 
-  __malloc_initialized = 0;
+  __malloc_initialized = true;
 
 #ifdef USE_MTAG
   if ((TUNABLE_GET_FULL (glibc, mem, tagging, int32_t, NULL) & 1) != 0)
diff --git a/malloc/malloc.c b/malloc/malloc.c
index d2e45664b1..595dd8bbdb 100644
--- a/malloc/malloc.c
+++ b/malloc/malloc.c
@@ -3195,7 +3195,7 @@ __libc_malloc (size_t bytes)
   _Static_assert (PTRDIFF_MAX <= SIZE_MAX / 2,
                   "PTRDIFF_MAX is not more than half of SIZE_MAX");
 
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 0)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     ptmalloc_init ();
 #if USE_TCACHE
   /* int_free also calls request2size, be careful to not pad twice.  */
@@ -3308,7 +3308,7 @@ __libc_realloc (void *oldmem, size_t bytes)
 
   void *newp;             /* chunk to return */
 
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 0)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     ptmalloc_init ();
 
 #if REALLOC_ZERO_BYTES_FREES
@@ -3444,7 +3444,7 @@ libc_hidden_def (__libc_realloc)
 void *
 __libc_memalign (size_t alignment, size_t bytes)
 {
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 0)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     ptmalloc_init ();
 
   void *address = RETURN_ADDRESS (0);
@@ -3515,7 +3515,7 @@ libc_hidden_def (__libc_memalign)
 void *
 __libc_valloc (size_t bytes)
 {
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 0)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     ptmalloc_init ();
 
   void *address = RETURN_ADDRESS (0);
@@ -3526,7 +3526,7 @@ __libc_valloc (size_t bytes)
 void *
 __libc_pvalloc (size_t bytes)
 {
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 0)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     ptmalloc_init ();
 
   void *address = RETURN_ADDRESS (0);
@@ -3565,7 +3565,7 @@ __libc_calloc (size_t n, size_t elem_size)
 
   sz = bytes;
 
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 0)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     ptmalloc_init ();
 
   MAYBE_INIT_TCACHE ();
@@ -5022,7 +5022,7 @@ __malloc_trim (size_t s)
 {
   int result = 0;
 
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 0)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     ptmalloc_init ();
 
   mstate ar_ptr = &main_arena;
@@ -5157,7 +5157,7 @@ __libc_mallinfo2 (void)
   struct mallinfo2 m;
   mstate ar_ptr;
 
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 0)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     ptmalloc_init ();
 
   memset (&m, 0, sizeof (m));
@@ -5208,7 +5208,7 @@ __malloc_stats (void)
   mstate ar_ptr;
   unsigned int in_use_b = mp_.mmapped_mem, system_b = in_use_b;
 
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 0)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     ptmalloc_init ();
   _IO_flockfile (stderr);
   int old_flags2 = stderr->_flags2;
@@ -5377,7 +5377,7 @@ __libc_mallopt (int param_number, int value)
   mstate av = &main_arena;
   int res = 1;
 
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 0)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     ptmalloc_init ();
   __libc_lock_lock (av->mutex);
 
@@ -5595,7 +5595,7 @@ __posix_memalign (void **memptr, size_t alignment, size_t size)
 {
   void *mem;
 
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 0)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     ptmalloc_init ();
 
   /* Test whether the SIZE argument is valid.  It must be a power of
@@ -5639,7 +5639,7 @@ __malloc_info (int options, FILE *fp)
 
 
 
-  if (__malloc_initialized < 0)
+  if (!__malloc_initialized)
     ptmalloc_init ();
 
   fputs ("<malloc version=\"1\">\n", fp);
