diff --git a/src/compiler/checker.ts b/src/compiler/checker.ts
index 982da682be0..224cde1f5ea 100644
--- a/src/compiler/checker.ts
+++ b/src/compiler/checker.ts
@@ -9784,14 +9784,11 @@ namespace ts {
             if (checkType === wildcardType || extendsType === wildcardType) {
                 return wildcardType;
             }
-            // If this is a distributive conditional type and the check type is generic we need to defer
-            // resolution of the conditional type such that a later instantiation will properly distribute
-            // over union types.
-            const isDeferred = root.isDistributive && maybeTypeOfKind(checkType, TypeFlags.Instantiable);
+            const checkTypeInstantiable = maybeTypeOfKind(checkType, TypeFlags.Instantiable);
             let combinedMapper: TypeMapper | undefined;
             if (root.inferTypeParameters) {
                 const context = createInferenceContext(root.inferTypeParameters, /*signature*/ undefined, InferenceFlags.None);
-                if (!isDeferred) {
+                if (!checkTypeInstantiable) {
                     // We don't want inferences from constraints as they may cause us to eagerly resolve the
                     // conditional type instead of deferring resolution. Also, we always want strict function
                     // types rules (i.e. proper contravariance) for inferences.
@@ -9799,16 +9796,17 @@ namespace ts {
                 }
                 combinedMapper = combineTypeMappers(mapper, context);
             }
-            if (!isDeferred) {
-                if (extendsType.flags & TypeFlags.AnyOrUnknown) {
+            // Instantiate the extends type including inferences for 'infer T' type parameters
+            const inferredExtendsType = combinedMapper ? instantiateType(root.extendsType, combinedMapper) : extendsType;
+            // We attempt to resolve the conditional type only when the check and extends types are non-generic
+            if (!checkTypeInstantiable && !maybeTypeOfKind(inferredExtendsType, TypeFlags.Instantiable)) {
+                if (inferredExtendsType.flags & TypeFlags.AnyOrUnknown) {
                     return instantiateType(root.trueType, mapper);
                 }
                 // Return union of trueType and falseType for 'any' since it matches anything
                 if (checkType.flags & TypeFlags.Any) {
                     return getUnionType([instantiateType(root.trueType, combinedMapper || mapper), instantiateType(root.falseType, mapper)]);
                 }
-                // Instantiate the extends type including inferences for 'infer T' type parameters
-                const inferredExtendsType = combinedMapper ? instantiateType(root.extendsType, combinedMapper) : extendsType;
                 // Return falseType for a definitely false extends check. We check an instantations of the two
                 // types with type parameters mapped to the wildcard type, the most permissive instantiations
                 // possible (the wildcard type is assignable to and from all types). If those are not related,