diff --git a/vault/identity_store_entities.go b/vault/identity_store_entities.go
index 7157fecf75..bf890c57f2 100644
--- a/vault/identity_store_entities.go
+++ b/vault/identity_store_entities.go
@@ -1014,13 +1014,13 @@ func (i *IdentityStore) mergeEntity(ctx context.Context, txn *memdb.Txn, toEntit
 						i.logger.Info("Deleting to_entity alias during entity merge", "to_entity", toEntity.ID, "deleted_alias", toAliasId)
 						err := i.MemDBDeleteAliasByIDInTxn(txn, toAliasId, false)
 						if err != nil {
-							return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to delete orphaned alias during merge: %w", err), nil
+							return nil, fmt.Errorf("aborting entity merge - failed to delete orphaned alias %q during merge into entity %q: %w", toAliasId, toEntity.ID, err), nil
 						}
 					} else if strutil.StrListContains(conflictingAliasIDsToKeep, toAliasId) {
 						i.logger.Info("Deleting from_entity alias during entity merge", "from_entity", fromEntityID, "deleted_alias", fromAlias.ID)
 						err := i.MemDBDeleteAliasByIDInTxn(txn, fromAlias.ID, false)
 						if err != nil {
-							return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to delete orphaned alias during merge: %w", err), nil
+							return nil, fmt.Errorf("aborting entity merge - failed to delete orphaned alias %q during merge into entity %q: %w", fromAlias.ID, toEntity.ID, err), nil
 						}
 
 						// Continue to next alias, as there's no alias to merge left in the from_entity
@@ -1029,7 +1029,7 @@ func (i *IdentityStore) mergeEntity(ctx context.Context, txn *memdb.Txn, toEntit
 						i.logger.Info("Deleting to_entity alias during entity merge", "to_entity", toEntity.ID, "deleted_alias", toAliasId)
 						err := i.MemDBDeleteAliasByIDInTxn(txn, toAliasId, false)
 						if err != nil {
-							return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to delete orphaned alias during merge: %w", err), nil
+							return nil, fmt.Errorf("aborting entity merge - failed to delete orphaned alias %q during merge into entity %q: %w", toAliasId, toEntity.ID, err), nil
 						}
 					} else {
 						return fmt.Errorf("conflicting mount accessors in following alias IDs and neither were present in conflicting_alias_ids_to_keep: %s, %s", fromAlias.ID, toAliasId), nil, nil