diff --git a/lib/internal/bootstrap/node.js b/lib/internal/bootstrap/node.js
index f7a62364b6107a..112df6ce6821e1 100644
--- a/lib/internal/bootstrap/node.js
+++ b/lib/internal/bootstrap/node.js
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ process.domain = null;
       exitCode = code;
     },
     enumerable: true,
-    configurable: false,
+    configurable: true,
   });
 }
 process._exiting = false;
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-process-exit-code-validation.js b/test/parallel/test-process-exit-code-validation.js
index 9987b58c867c99..0dc454bf2695ae 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-process-exit-code-validation.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-process-exit-code-validation.js
@@ -110,17 +110,14 @@ if (process.argv[2] === undefined) {
 
   // Check process.exitCode
   for (const arg of invalids) {
-    debug(`invaild code: ${inspect(arg.code)}`);
+    debug(`invalid code: ${inspect(arg.code)}`);
     throws(() => (process.exitCode = arg.code), new RegExp(arg.pattern));
   }
   for (const arg of valids) {
-    debug(`vaild code: ${inspect(arg.code)}`);
+    debug(`valid code: ${inspect(arg.code)}`);
     process.exitCode = arg.code;
   }
 
-  throws(() => {
-    delete process.exitCode;
-  }, /Cannot delete property 'exitCode' of #<process>/);
   process.exitCode = 0;
 
   // Check process.exit([code])
@@ -141,3 +138,10 @@ if (process.argv[2] === undefined) {
     process.exit(args[index].code);
   }
 }
+
+const origExitCode = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(process, 'exitCode');
+try {
+  delete process.exitCode;
+} finally {
+  Object.defineProperty(process, 'exitCode', origExitCode);
+}