Suggested parameter names for utility class function
public class MySuperUtil {
    public static List&lt;Long&gt; updateAndSubtract(List&lt;Long&gt; first, List&lt;Long&gt; second) {
        List&lt;Long&gt; updated = updatePlaceholdersWithLargestIds(second, first);
        Collection&lt;?&gt; difference = CollectionUtils.subtract(first, updated);
        return castCollectionToListUsingClass(difference, Long.class);
    }



My assessment of the code is that, as a Util method, it is poorly named too. The methods are not self-documenting.

I read updatePlaceholdersWithLargestIds, and with two lists as inputs, where is the Id? What does 'updated' look like? I am at a loss.

What I can say is that there is some black-box function that does some update, but, does it manipulate the data in first, or second? Why is 'second' specified first? Why is it not: updatePlaceholdersWithLargestIds(first, second);

Also, why does an update* function return a value, and not update something? it should be called get* or just largestIds. Or, does the function do both? Does it update values and also return values? Yuck!.

The subtract function. Does it subtract the first value from the second, or the other way around?

castCollectionToListUsingClass I presume this method has the signature:

public static &lt;U&gt; List&lt;U&gt; castCollectionToListUsingClass(Collection&lt;?&gt; collection, Class&lt;U&gt; clazz);


Why all the redundancy? That method name duplicates all the signature components. It is tautology. Also, why does it take a collection, and return a List? It should return a Collection too, or it should be parameterized too.... at minimum, just rename the method to something like (I like the word coerce):

public static &lt;U&gt; List&lt;U&gt; coerceMembers(Collection&lt;?&gt; collection, Class&lt;U&gt; clazz);


So, I would agree that naming is a concern in your code, but it extends beyond just your method.

Your method does not tell me what it does, and the code in the method does not help much either. The code in the method does not help me help you rename the method.