diff --git a/packages/devkit/src/generators/project-name-and-root-utils.spec.ts b/packages/devkit/src/generators/project-name-and-root-utils.spec.ts
index 897a2178ef..3bfa0bc62d 100644
--- a/packages/devkit/src/generators/project-name-and-root-utils.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/devkit/src/generators/project-name-and-root-utils.spec.ts
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'lib-name',
         },
         importPath: '@proj/lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: 'shared',
+        projectRoot: 'shared',
       });
     });
 
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'lib-name',
         },
         importPath: '@scope/lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: 'shared',
+        projectRoot: 'shared',
       });
     });
 
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'lib-name',
         },
         importPath: '@custom-scope/lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: 'shared',
+        projectRoot: 'shared',
       });
     });
 
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'lib-name',
         },
         importPath: '@scope/lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: '@scope/lib-name',
+        projectRoot: '@scope/lib-name',
       });
     });
 
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'lib-name',
         },
         importPath: 'lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: '.',
+        projectRoot: '.',
       });
     });
 
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'shared-lib-name',
         },
         importPath: '@proj/shared/lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: 'shared/lib-name',
+        projectRoot: 'shared/lib-name',
       });
     });
 
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'lib-name',
         },
         importPath: 'lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: '.',
+        projectRoot: '.',
       });
     });
 
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'lib-name',
         },
         importPath: '@scope/lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: 'shared',
+        projectRoot: 'shared',
       });
 
       // restore original interactive mode
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'lib-name',
         },
         importPath: '@proj/lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: 'shared',
+        projectRoot: 'shared',
       });
     });
 
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'lib-name',
         },
         importPath: '@scope/lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: 'shared',
+        projectRoot: 'shared',
       });
     });
 
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'lib-name',
         },
         importPath: '@custom-scope/lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: 'shared',
+        projectRoot: 'shared',
       });
     });
 
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'lib-name',
         },
         importPath: '@scope/lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: '@scope/lib-name',
+        projectRoot: '@scope/lib-name',
       });
     });
 
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'lib-name',
         },
         importPath: 'lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: '.',
+        projectRoot: '.',
       });
     });
 
@@ -455,7 +455,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'shared-lib-name',
         },
         importPath: '@proj/shared/lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: 'libs/shared/lib-name',
+        projectRoot: 'libs/shared/lib-name',
       });
     });
 
@@ -490,7 +490,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'lib-name',
         },
         importPath: 'lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: '.',
+        projectRoot: '.',
       });
     });
 
@@ -570,7 +570,7 @@ describe('determineProjectNameAndRootOptions', () => {
           projectFileName: 'lib-name',
         },
         importPath: '@scope/lib-name',
-        projectDirectory: 'shared',
+        projectRoot: 'shared',
       });
 
       // restore original interactive mode
diff --git a/packages/devkit/src/generators/project-name-and-root-utils.ts b/packages/devkit/src/generators/project-name-and-root-utils.ts
index df855f7f83..92979636ae 100644
--- a/packages/devkit/src/generators/project-name-and-root-utils.ts
+++ b/packages/devkit/src/generators/project-name-and-root-utils.ts
@@ -28,9 +28,9 @@ export type ProjectNameAndRootOptions = {
    */
   projectName: string;
   /**
-   * Normalized project directory, including the layout directory if configured.
+   * Normalized project root, including the layout directory if configured.
    */
-  projectDirectory: string;
+  projectRoot: string;
   names: {
     /**
      * Normalized project name without scope. It's meant to be used when
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ function getProjectNameAndRootFormats(
             projectFileName: nameWithoutScope,
           },
           importPath: options.importPath ?? asProvidedProjectName,
-          projectDirectory: asProvidedProjectDirectory,
+          projectRoot: asProvidedProjectDirectory,
         },
       },
     };
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ function getProjectNameAndRootFormats(
           projectFileName: asProvidedProjectName,
         },
         importPath: asProvidedImportPath,
-        projectDirectory: asProvidedProjectDirectory,
+        projectRoot: asProvidedProjectDirectory,
       },
     },
     derived: {
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ function getProjectNameAndRootFormats(
           projectFileName: derivedProjectName,
         },
         importPath: derivedImportPath,
-        projectDirectory: derivedProjectDirectory,
+        projectRoot: derivedProjectDirectory,
       },
     },
   };
diff --git a/packages/js/src/generators/library/library.ts b/packages/js/src/generators/library/library.ts
index 59b1140e34..26f918392c 100644
--- a/packages/js/src/generators/library/library.ts
+++ b/packages/js/src/generators/library/library.ts
@@ -541,7 +541,7 @@ async function normalizeOptions(
   const {
     projectName,
     names: projectNames,
-    projectDirectory,
+    projectRoot,
     importPath,
   } = await determineProjectNameAndRootOptions(tree, {
     name: options.name,
@@ -551,7 +551,7 @@ async function normalizeOptions(
     projectNameAndRootFormat: options.projectNameAndRootFormat,
     rootProject: options.rootProject,
   });
-  options.rootProject = projectDirectory === '.';
+  options.rootProject = projectRoot === '.';
   const fileName = getCaseAwareFileName({
     fileName: options.simpleName
       ? projectNames.projectSimpleName
@@ -570,7 +570,7 @@ async function normalizeOptions(
     fileName,
     name: projectName,
     projectNames,
-    projectRoot: projectDirectory,
+    projectRoot,
     parsedTags,
     importPath,
   };