na-adjective, noun
forbidding look; uncanny look
Describes a facial expression or atmosphere that feels threatening, eerie, or unsettling. Often used in literary or descriptive contexts.
彼の険相な表情に、誰も近づけなかった。
No one could approach him because of his forbidding expression.
その古い屋敷は険相な雰囲気を漂わせていた。
The old mansion had an uncanny atmosphere.
Compound of 険 (steep, severe) and 相 (appearance, look). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination naturally conveys a severe or forbidding appearance.