diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md
index ee54438e1..87946dc57 100644
--- a/readme.md
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -116,6 +116,9 @@ EnumUnderTest.MemberWithoutDescriptionAttribute.Humanize() => "Member without de
 EnumUnderTest.MemberWithoutDescriptionAttribute.Humanize().Transform(To.TitleCase) => "Member Without Description Attribute"
 ```
 
+You are not limited to `DescriptionAttribute` for custom description. Any attribute applied on enum members with a `string Description` property counts. 
+This is to help with platforms with missing `DescriptionAttribute` and also for allowing subclasses of the `DescriptionAttribute`.
+
 Hopefully this will help avoid littering enums with unnecessary attributes!
 
 ###<a id="dehumanize-enums">Dehumanize Enums</a>
diff --git a/src/Humanizer.Tests/DehumanizeToEnumTests.cs b/src/Humanizer.Tests/DehumanizeToEnumTests.cs
index ddd72ef2b..5faaa7d62 100644
--- a/src/Humanizer.Tests/DehumanizeToEnumTests.cs
+++ b/src/Humanizer.Tests/DehumanizeToEnumTests.cs
@@ -9,28 +9,43 @@ public class DehumanizeToEnumTests
         [Fact]
         public void ThrowsForNonEnums()
         {
-            Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() => EnumTestsResources.CustomDescription.DehumanizeTo<DummyStructWithEnumInterfaces>());
-            Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() => EnumTestsResources.CustomDescription.DehumanizeTo(typeof(DummyStructWithEnumInterfaces)));
+            Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() => EnumTestsResources.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute.DehumanizeTo<DummyStructWithEnumInterfaces>());
+            Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() => EnumTestsResources.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute.DehumanizeTo(typeof(DummyStructWithEnumInterfaces)));
         }
 
         [Fact]
         public void ThrowsForEnumNoMatch()
         {
-            Assert.Throws<NoMatchFoundException>(() => EnumTestsResources.CustomDescription.DehumanizeTo<DummyEnum>());
-            Assert.Throws<NoMatchFoundException>(() => EnumTestsResources.CustomDescription.DehumanizeTo(typeof(DummyEnum)));
+            Assert.Throws<NoMatchFoundException>(() => EnumTestsResources.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute.DehumanizeTo<DummyEnum>());
+            Assert.Throws<NoMatchFoundException>(() => EnumTestsResources.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute.DehumanizeTo(typeof(DummyEnum)));
         }
 
         [Fact]
         public void CanReturnNullForEnumNoMatch()
         {
-            Assert.Null(EnumTestsResources.CustomDescription.DehumanizeTo(typeof(DummyEnum), OnNoMatch.ReturnsNull));
+            Assert.Null(EnumTestsResources.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute.DehumanizeTo(typeof(DummyEnum), OnNoMatch.ReturnsNull));
         }
 
         [Fact]
         public void HonorsDescriptionAttribute()
         {
-            Assert.Equal(EnumUnderTest.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute, EnumTestsResources.CustomDescription.DehumanizeTo<EnumUnderTest>());
-            Assert.Equal(EnumUnderTest.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute, EnumTestsResources.CustomDescription.DehumanizeTo(typeof(EnumUnderTest)));
+            Assert.Equal(EnumUnderTest.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute, EnumTestsResources.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute.DehumanizeTo<EnumUnderTest>());
+            Assert.Equal(EnumUnderTest.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute, EnumTestsResources.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute.DehumanizeTo(typeof(EnumUnderTest)));
+        }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void HonorsDescriptionAttributeSubclasses()
+        {
+            const string calculatedDescription = "Overridden " + EnumTestsResources.MemberWithDescriptionAttributeSubclass;
+            Assert.Equal(EnumUnderTest.MemberWithDescriptionAttributeSubclass, calculatedDescription.DehumanizeTo<EnumUnderTest>());
+            Assert.Equal(EnumUnderTest.MemberWithDescriptionAttributeSubclass, calculatedDescription.DehumanizeTo(typeof(EnumUnderTest)));
+        }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void HonorsAnyAttributeWithDescriptionStringProperty()
+        {
+            Assert.Equal(EnumUnderTest.MemberWithCustomDescriptionAttribute, EnumTestsResources.MemberWithCustomDescriptionAttribute.DehumanizeTo<EnumUnderTest>());
+            Assert.Equal(EnumUnderTest.MemberWithCustomDescriptionAttribute, EnumTestsResources.MemberWithCustomDescriptionAttribute.DehumanizeTo(typeof(EnumUnderTest)));
         }
 
         [Fact]
diff --git a/src/Humanizer.Tests/EnumHumanizeTests.cs b/src/Humanizer.Tests/EnumHumanizeTests.cs
index 5fed047bc..c47d7c41b 100644
--- a/src/Humanizer.Tests/EnumHumanizeTests.cs
+++ b/src/Humanizer.Tests/EnumHumanizeTests.cs
@@ -7,7 +7,25 @@ public class EnumHumanizeTests
         [Fact] 
         public void HonorsDescriptionAttribute()
         {
-            Assert.Equal(EnumTestsResources.CustomDescription, EnumUnderTest.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute.Humanize());
+            Assert.Equal(EnumTestsResources.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute, EnumUnderTest.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute.Humanize());
+        }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void HonorsDescriptionAttributeSubclasses()
+        {
+            Assert.Equal("Overridden " + EnumTestsResources.MemberWithDescriptionAttributeSubclass, EnumUnderTest.MemberWithDescriptionAttributeSubclass.Humanize());
+        }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void HonorsAnyAttributeWithDescriptionStringProperty()
+        {
+            Assert.Equal(EnumTestsResources.MemberWithCustomDescriptionAttribute, EnumUnderTest.MemberWithCustomDescriptionAttribute.Humanize());
+        }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void OnlyStringDescriptionsApply()
+        {
+            Assert.Equal(EnumTestsResources.MemberWithImposterDescriptionAttribute, EnumUnderTest.MemberWithImposterDescriptionAttribute.Humanize());
         }
 
         [Fact] 
diff --git a/src/Humanizer.Tests/EnumTestsResources.cs b/src/Humanizer.Tests/EnumTestsResources.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index ee4d8878c..000000000
--- a/src/Humanizer.Tests/EnumTestsResources.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-namespace Humanizer.Tests
-{
-    public class EnumTestsResources
-    {
-        public const string CustomDescription = "Some Description";
-        public const string MemberWithoutDescriptionAttributeSentence = "Member without description attribute";
-        public const string MemberWithoutDescriptionAttributeTitle = "Member Without Description Attribute";
-        public const string MemberWithoutDescriptionAttributeLowerCase = "member without description attribute";
-    }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/Humanizer.Tests/EnumUnderTest.cs b/src/Humanizer.Tests/EnumUnderTest.cs
index f5bf2727d..1d7cd06fd 100644
--- a/src/Humanizer.Tests/EnumUnderTest.cs
+++ b/src/Humanizer.Tests/EnumUnderTest.cs
@@ -1,12 +1,62 @@
-using System.ComponentModel;
+using System;
+using System.ComponentModel;
 
 namespace Humanizer.Tests
 {
     public enum EnumUnderTest
     {
-        [Description(EnumTestsResources.CustomDescription)]
+        [Description(EnumTestsResources.MemberWithDescriptionAttribute)]
         MemberWithDescriptionAttribute,
+        [DescriptionSubclass(EnumTestsResources.MemberWithDescriptionAttributeSubclass)]
+        MemberWithDescriptionAttributeSubclass,
+        [CustomDescription(EnumTestsResources.MemberWithCustomDescriptionAttribute)]
+        MemberWithCustomDescriptionAttribute,
+        [ImposterDescription(42)]
+        MemberWithImposterDescriptionAttribute,
         MemberWithoutDescriptionAttribute,
         ALLCAPITALS
     }
+
+    public class EnumTestsResources
+    {
+        public const string MemberWithDescriptionAttribute = "Some Description";
+        public const string MemberWithDescriptionAttributeSubclass = "Description in Description subclass";
+        public const string MemberWithCustomDescriptionAttribute = "Description in custom Description attribute";
+        public const string MemberWithImposterDescriptionAttribute = "Member with imposter description attribute";
+        public const string MemberWithoutDescriptionAttributeSentence = "Member without description attribute";
+        public const string MemberWithoutDescriptionAttributeTitle = "Member Without Description Attribute";
+        public const string MemberWithoutDescriptionAttributeLowerCase = "member without description attribute";
+    }
+
+    public class ImposterDescriptionAttribute : Attribute
+    {
+        public int Description { get; set; }
+
+        public ImposterDescriptionAttribute(int description)
+        {
+            Description = description;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public class CustomDescriptionAttribute : Attribute
+    {
+        public string Description { get; set; }
+
+        public CustomDescriptionAttribute(string description)
+        {
+            Description = description;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public class DescriptionSubclassAttribute : DescriptionAttribute
+    {
+        public DescriptionSubclassAttribute(string description):base(description)
+        {
+        }
+
+        public override string Description
+        {
+            get { return "Overridden " + base.Description; }
+        }
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/Humanizer.Tests/Humanizer.Tests.csproj b/src/Humanizer.Tests/Humanizer.Tests.csproj
index f581b5fae..22f33efcd 100644
--- a/src/Humanizer.Tests/Humanizer.Tests.csproj
+++ b/src/Humanizer.Tests/Humanizer.Tests.csproj
@@ -93,7 +93,6 @@
     <Compile Include="DateHumanizeTests.cs" />
     <Compile Include="DehumanizeToEnumTests.cs" />
     <Compile Include="EnumHumanizeTests.cs" />
-    <Compile Include="EnumTestsResources.cs" />
     <Compile Include="EnumUnderTest.cs" />
     <Compile Include="FluentDate\InTests.cs" />
     <Compile Include="FluentDate\OnTests.cs" />
diff --git a/src/Humanizer/EnumHumanizeExtensions.cs b/src/Humanizer/EnumHumanizeExtensions.cs
index 93ee2d15a..4fd2327ce 100644
--- a/src/Humanizer/EnumHumanizeExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/Humanizer/EnumHumanizeExtensions.cs
@@ -37,15 +37,9 @@ private static string GetCustomDescription(MemberInfo memberInfo)
             foreach (var attr in attrs)
             {
                 var attrType = attr.GetType();
-                if (attrType.FullName == "System.ComponentModel.DescriptionAttribute")
-                {
-                    var descriptionProperty = attrType.GetProperties().FirstOrDefault(DescriptionProperty);
-                    if (descriptionProperty != null)
-                    {
-                        //we have a hit
-                        return descriptionProperty.GetValue(attr, null).ToString();
-                    }
-                }
+                var descriptionProperty = attrType.GetProperties().FirstOrDefault(DescriptionProperty);
+                if (descriptionProperty != null)
+                    return descriptionProperty.GetValue(attr, null).ToString();
             }
 
             return null;