diff --git a/build_tools/azure/install.sh b/build_tools/azure/install.sh
index 106043067d56a..d7492f41760a1 100755
--- a/build_tools/azure/install.sh
+++ b/build_tools/azure/install.sh
@@ -145,9 +145,7 @@ fi
 if [[ "$TEST_DOCSTRINGS" == "true" ]]; then
     # numpydoc requires sphinx
     python -m pip install sphinx
-    # TODO: update the docstring checks to be compatible with new
-    # numpydoc versions
-    python -m pip install "numpydoc<1.2"
+    python -m pip install numpydoc
 fi
 
 python --version
diff --git a/build_tools/circle/build_test_arm.sh b/build_tools/circle/build_test_arm.sh
index a78d35adf4b60..c27353e548940 100755
--- a/build_tools/circle/build_test_arm.sh
+++ b/build_tools/circle/build_test_arm.sh
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ fi
 if [[ "$TEST_DOCSTRINGS" == "true" ]]; then
     # numpydoc requires sphinx
     mamba install --verbose -y sphinx
-    mamba install --verbose -y "numpydoc<1.2"
+    mamba install --verbose -y numpydoc
 fi
 
 python --version
diff --git a/sklearn/_min_dependencies.py b/sklearn/_min_dependencies.py
index f552de56617e1..968fb662c75e6 100644
--- a/sklearn/_min_dependencies.py
+++ b/sklearn/_min_dependencies.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
     "pyamg": ("4.0.0", "tests"),
     "sphinx": ("4.0.1", "docs"),
     "sphinx-gallery": ("0.7.0", "docs"),
-    "numpydoc": ("1.0.0", "docs"),
+    "numpydoc": ("1.2.0", "docs, tests"),
     "Pillow": ("7.1.2", "docs"),
     "sphinx-prompt": ("1.3.0", "docs"),
     "sphinxext-opengraph": ("0.4.2", "docs"),
diff --git a/sklearn/utils/_testing.py b/sklearn/utils/_testing.py
index 1724063be2f43..7b57549e5886c 100644
--- a/sklearn/utils/_testing.py
+++ b/sklearn/utils/_testing.py
@@ -655,14 +655,25 @@ def check_docstring_parameters(func, doc=None, ignore=None):
 
     # Analyze function's docstring
     if doc is None:
-        with warnings.catch_warnings(record=True) as w:
+        records = []
+        with warnings.catch_warnings(record=True):
+            warnings.simplefilter("error", UserWarning)
             try:
                 doc = docscrape.FunctionDoc(func)
+            except UserWarning as exp:
+                if "potentially wrong underline length" in str(exp):
+                    # Catch warning raised as of numpydoc 1.2 when
+                    # the underline length for a section of a docstring
+                    # is not consistent.
+                    message = str(exp).split("\n")[:3]
+                    incorrect += [f"In function: {func_name}"] + message
+                    return incorrect
+                records.append(str(exp))
             except Exception as exp:
                 incorrect += [func_name + " parsing error: " + str(exp)]
                 return incorrect
-        if len(w):
-            raise RuntimeError("Error for %s:\n%s" % (func_name, w[0]))
+        if len(records):
+            raise RuntimeError("Error for %s:\n%s" % (func_name, records[0]))
 
     param_docs = []
     for name, type_definition, param_doc in doc["Parameters"]:
diff --git a/sklearn/utils/tests/test_testing.py b/sklearn/utils/tests/test_testing.py
index a3a42aeb4c83f..ea4831fb02400 100644
--- a/sklearn/utils/tests/test_testing.py
+++ b/sklearn/utils/tests/test_testing.py
@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ def f_check_param_definition(a, b, c, d, e):
     b:
         Parameter b
     c :
-        Parameter c
+        This is parsed correctly in numpydoc 1.2
     d:int
         Parameter d
     e
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ def f_bad_sections(self, X, y):
         """Function f
 
         Parameter
-        ----------
+        ---------
         a : int
             Parameter a
         b : float
@@ -525,7 +525,9 @@ def fit(self, X, y):
 )
 def test_check_docstring_parameters(mock_meta):
     pytest.importorskip(
-        "numpydoc", reason="numpydoc is required to test the docstrings"
+        "numpydoc",
+        reason="numpydoc is required to test the docstrings",
+        minversion="1.2.0",
     )
 
     incorrect = check_docstring_parameters(f_ok)
@@ -546,8 +548,6 @@ def test_check_docstring_parameters(mock_meta):
         "was no space between the param name and colon ('a: int')",
         "sklearn.utils.tests.test_testing.f_check_param_definition There "
         "was no space between the param name and colon ('b:')",
-        "sklearn.utils.tests.test_testing.f_check_param_definition "
-        "Parameter 'c :' has an empty type spec. Remove the colon",
         "sklearn.utils.tests.test_testing.f_check_param_definition There "
         "was no space between the param name and colon ('d:int')",
     ]
@@ -602,20 +602,16 @@ def test_check_docstring_parameters(mock_meta):
             "In function: "
             + f"sklearn.utils.tests.test_testing.{mock_meta_name}."
             + "predict_proba",
-            "Parameters in function docstring have less items w.r.t. function"
-            " signature, first missing item: X",
-            "Full diff:",
-            "- ['X']",
-            "+ []",
+            "potentially wrong underline length... ",
+            "Parameters ",
+            "--------- in ",
         ],
         [
             "In function: "
             + f"sklearn.utils.tests.test_testing.{mock_meta_name}.score",
-            "Parameters in function docstring have less items w.r.t. function"
-            " signature, first missing item: X",
-            "Full diff:",
-            "- ['X']",
-            "+ []",
+            "potentially wrong underline length... ",
+            "Parameters ",
+            "--------- in ",
         ],
         [
             "In function: " + f"sklearn.utils.tests.test_testing.{mock_meta_name}.fit",