Referring to a character by a trait rather than name/title/pronoun
This is really driving me insane. What is it called when instead of referring to a character by their name, title, or pronoun you use a short description. For example, "the cruel man spoke", "the junkie laughed", "the older sister followed". They aren't really kennings or epithets, but it's similar.
In Stylistics this is termed Periphrasis:
Use of a longer phrasing in place of a possible shorter form of expression.
(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/periphrasis)