diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 3888b2305..56fc6b11d 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ Features added
   self-signed HTTPS servers in linkcheck and intersphinx
 * #2215: make.bat generated by sphinx-quickstart can be called from another dir.
   Thanks to Timotheus Kampik.
+* #3185: Add new warning type ``misc.highlighting_failure``
 
 Bugs fixed
 ----------
diff --git a/doc/config.rst b/doc/config.rst
index a3f45abe9..9c74d664f 100644
--- a/doc/config.rst
+++ b/doc/config.rst
@@ -232,6 +232,7 @@ General configuration
    * ref.option
    * ref.citation
    * ref.doc
+   * misc.highlighting_failure
 
    You can choose from these types.
 
@@ -239,6 +240,10 @@ General configuration
 
    .. versionadded:: 1.4
 
+   .. versionchanged:: 1.5
+
+      Added ``misc.highlighting_failure``
+
 .. confval:: needs_sphinx
 
    If set to a ``major.minor`` version string like ``'1.1'``, Sphinx will
diff --git a/sphinx/highlighting.py b/sphinx/highlighting.py
index 9594b5336..4b4ba87da 100644
--- a/sphinx/highlighting.py
+++ b/sphinx/highlighting.py
@@ -143,7 +143,8 @@ class PygmentsBridge(object):
                 pass  # automatic highlighting failed.
             elif warn:
                 warn('Could not lex literal_block as "%s". '
-                     'Highlighting skipped.' % lang)
+                     'Highlighting skipped.' % lang,
+                     type='misc', subtype='higlighting_failure')
             else:
                 raise exc
             hlsource = highlight(source, lexers['none'], formatter)
diff --git a/sphinx/writers/html.py b/sphinx/writers/html.py
index ba2b758d8..5c0fa0fee 100644
--- a/sphinx/writers/html.py
+++ b/sphinx/writers/html.py
@@ -363,8 +363,8 @@ class HTMLTranslator(BaseTranslator):
         else:
             opts = {}
 
-        def warner(msg):
-            self.builder.warn(msg, (self.builder.current_docname, node.line))
+        def warner(msg, **kwargs):
+            self.builder.warn(msg, (self.builder.current_docname, node.line), **kwargs)
         highlighted = self.highlighter.highlight_block(
             node.rawsource, lang, opts=opts, warn=warner, linenos=linenos,
             **highlight_args)
diff --git a/sphinx/writers/latex.py b/sphinx/writers/latex.py
index ed62308c4..104401152 100644
--- a/sphinx/writers/latex.py
+++ b/sphinx/writers/latex.py
@@ -1954,8 +1954,8 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(nodes.NodeVisitor):
             else:
                 opts = {}
 
-            def warner(msg):
-                self.builder.warn(msg, (self.curfilestack[-1], node.line))
+            def warner(msg, **kwargs):
+                self.builder.warn(msg, (self.curfilestack[-1], node.line), **kwargs)
             hlcode = self.highlighter.highlight_block(code, lang, opts=opts,
                                                       warn=warner, linenos=linenos,
                                                       **highlight_args)