diff --git a/config/configschema/schema.go b/config/configschema/schema.go
index 9a8ee550aa..0c23741fea 100644
--- a/config/configschema/schema.go
+++ b/config/configschema/schema.go
@@ -28,6 +28,12 @@ type Attribute struct {
 	// Type is a type specification that the attribute's value must conform to.
 	Type cty.Type
 
+	// Description is an English-language description of the purpose and
+	// usage of the attribute. A description should be concise and use only
+	// one or two sentences, leaving full definition to longer-form
+	// documentation defined elsewhere.
+	Description string
+
 	// Required, if set to true, specifies that an omitted or null value is
 	// not permitted.
 	Required bool
diff --git a/helper/schema/core_schema.go b/helper/schema/core_schema.go
index bf952f6631..95398578be 100644
--- a/helper/schema/core_schema.go
+++ b/helper/schema/core_schema.go
@@ -59,11 +59,12 @@ func (m schemaMap) CoreConfigSchema() *configschema.Block {
 // whose elem is a whole resource.
 func (s *Schema) coreConfigSchemaAttribute() *configschema.Attribute {
 	return &configschema.Attribute{
-		Type:      s.coreConfigSchemaType(),
-		Optional:  s.Optional,
-		Required:  s.Required,
-		Computed:  s.Computed,
-		Sensitive: s.Sensitive,
+		Type:        s.coreConfigSchemaType(),
+		Optional:    s.Optional,
+		Required:    s.Required,
+		Computed:    s.Computed,
+		Sensitive:   s.Sensitive,
+		Description: s.Description,
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/helper/schema/core_schema_test.go b/helper/schema/core_schema_test.go
index 08f8dbd9a5..8fefc47fc2 100644
--- a/helper/schema/core_schema_test.go
+++ b/helper/schema/core_schema_test.go
@@ -23,8 +23,9 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 		"primitives": {
 			map[string]*Schema{
 				"int": {
-					Type:     TypeInt,
-					Required: true,
+					Type:        TypeInt,
+					Required:    true,
+					Description: "foo bar baz",
 				},
 				"float": {
 					Type:     TypeFloat,
@@ -43,8 +44,9 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 			&configschema.Block{
 				Attributes: map[string]*configschema.Attribute{
 					"int": {
-						Type:     cty.Number,
-						Required: true,
+						Type:        cty.Number,
+						Required:    true,
+						Description: "foo bar baz",
 					},
 					"float": {
 						Type:     cty.Number,