That is the definition, yes. "He was a short, mean-spirited man" as opposed to the indirect method of showing the man reaching up for the box of cookies and then keeping them away from his kid.
That would be called characterization.
characterization
Stream of consciousness for the thoughts.
This is one form of indirect characterization.
This is when an author reveals a person in the story characterization by giving specific descriptions.
This is one form of indirect characterization.
Indirect characterization
indirect characterization
Creating a character is called characterization
This is called indirect characterization, where the characteristics, thoughts, or feelings of the character have to be inferred from his actions, or from how he interacts with the other characters.
Characterization
That is called indirect characterization. Direct characterization is when the author simply states something like "He was a bitter man."