diff --git a/include/misc/dlist.h b/include/misc/dlist.h
index ba0795233ed..e16a70d8dc1 100644
--- a/include/misc/dlist.h
+++ b/include/misc/dlist.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <stdbool.h>
+#include <toolchain.h>
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
@@ -429,19 +430,22 @@ static inline void sys_dlist_prepend(sys_dlist_t *list, sys_dnode_t *node)
 }
 
 /**
- * @brief insert node after a node
+ * @brief Insert a node into a list
  *
- * Insert a node after a specified node in a list.
- * This and other sys_dlist_*() functions are not thread safe.
+ * Insert a node before a specified node in a dlist.
  *
- * @param list the doubly-linked list to operate on
- * @param insert_point the insert point in the list: if NULL, insert at head
- * @param node the element to append
- *
- * @return N/A
+ * @param successor the position before which "node" will be inserted
+ * @param node the element to insert
  */
+static inline void sys_dlist_insert(sys_dnode_t *successor, sys_dnode_t *node)
+{
+	node->prev = successor->prev;
+	node->next = successor;
+	successor->prev->next = node;
+	successor->prev = node;
+}
 
-static inline void sys_dlist_insert_after(sys_dlist_t *list,
+static inline void __deprecated sys_dlist_insert_after(sys_dlist_t *list,
 	sys_dnode_t *insert_point, sys_dnode_t *node)
 {
 	if (insert_point == NULL) {
@@ -454,20 +458,7 @@ static inline void sys_dlist_insert_after(sys_dlist_t *list,
 	}
 }
 
-/**
- * @brief insert node before a node
- *
- * Insert a node before a specified node in a list.
- * This and other sys_dlist_*() functions are not thread safe.
- *
- * @param list the doubly-linked list to operate on
- * @param insert_point the insert point in the list: if NULL, insert at tail
- * @param node the element to insert
- *
- * @return N/A
- */
-
-static inline void sys_dlist_insert_before(sys_dlist_t *list,
+static inline void __deprecated sys_dlist_insert_before(sys_dlist_t *list,
 	sys_dnode_t *insert_point, sys_dnode_t *node)
 {
 	if (insert_point == NULL) {
@@ -508,7 +499,11 @@ static inline void sys_dlist_insert_at(sys_dlist_t *list, sys_dnode_t *node,
 		while (pos && !cond(pos, data)) {
 			pos = sys_dlist_peek_next(list, pos);
 		}
-		sys_dlist_insert_before(list, pos, node);
+		if (pos != NULL) {
+			sys_dlist_insert(pos, node);
+		} else {
+			sys_dlist_append(list, node);
+		}
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/kernel/poll.c b/kernel/poll.c
index 6c0dff797b0..ab260ef99c8 100644
--- a/kernel/poll.c
+++ b/kernel/poll.c
@@ -91,8 +91,7 @@ static inline void add_event(sys_dlist_t *events, struct k_poll_event *event,
 	SYS_DLIST_FOR_EACH_CONTAINER(events, pending, _node) {
 		if (_is_t1_higher_prio_than_t2(poller->thread,
 					       pending->poller->thread)) {
-			sys_dlist_insert_before(events, &pending->_node,
-						&event->_node);
+			sys_dlist_insert(&pending->_node, &event->_node);
 			return;
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/kernel/sched.c b/kernel/sched.c
index e757624ee0e..6b959c168ca 100644
--- a/kernel/sched.c
+++ b/kernel/sched.c
@@ -573,8 +573,8 @@ void _priq_dumb_add(sys_dlist_t *pq, struct k_thread *thread)
 
 	SYS_DLIST_FOR_EACH_CONTAINER(pq, t, base.qnode_dlist) {
 		if (_is_t1_higher_prio_than_t2(thread, t)) {
-			sys_dlist_insert_before(pq, &t->base.qnode_dlist,
-						&thread->base.qnode_dlist);
+			sys_dlist_insert(&t->base.qnode_dlist,
+					 &thread->base.qnode_dlist);
 			return;
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/kernel/timeout.c b/kernel/timeout.c
index 25107a972e3..8654376ba0e 100644
--- a/kernel/timeout.c
+++ b/kernel/timeout.c
@@ -87,8 +87,7 @@ void _add_timeout(struct _timeout *to, _timeout_func_t fn, s32_t ticks)
 
 			if (t->dticks > to->dticks) {
 				t->dticks -= to->dticks;
-				sys_dlist_insert_before(&timeout_list,
-							&t->node, &to->node);
+				sys_dlist_insert(&t->node, &to->node);
 				break;
 			}
 			to->dticks -= t->dticks;
diff --git a/tests/kernel/common/src/dlist.c b/tests/kernel/common/src/dlist.c
index 95ba0eaa98c..4c60ff528c5 100644
--- a/tests/kernel/common/src/dlist.c
+++ b/tests/kernel/common/src/dlist.c
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ static inline bool verify_tail_head(sys_dlist_t *list,
  * @brief Verify doubly linked list funtionalities
  *
  * @see sys_dlist_append(), sys_dlist_remove(), sys_dlist_prepend(),
- * sys_dlist_remove(), sys_dlist_insert_after(), sys_dlist_peek_next()
+ * sys_dlist_remove(), sys_dlist_insert(), sys_dlist_peek_next()
  * SYS_DLIST_ITERATE_FROM_NODE()
  */
 void test_dlist(void)
@@ -238,8 +238,7 @@ void test_dlist(void)
 		     "test_list node links are wrong");
 
 	/* Inserting node 4 after node 2 */
-	sys_dlist_insert_after(&test_list, &test_node_2.node,
-			       &test_node_4.node);
+	sys_dlist_insert(test_node_2.node.next, &test_node_4.node);
 
 	zassert_true((verify_tail_head(&test_list, &test_node_2.node,
 				       &test_node_3.node, false)),