Crossword Genius

Embracing one, this clerk surprisingly virtuous? (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

christlike

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'virtuous?' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Perhaps you can see an association between them that I don't see?

'embracing one this clerk surprisingly' is the wordplay.
'embracing' is an insertion indicator.
'one' becomes 'i' (Roman numeral).
'surprisingly' is an anagram indicator (a surprising ordering of the letters).
'this'+'clerk'='thisclerk'
'thisclerk' with letters rearranged gives 'christlke'.
'i' inserted within 'christlke' is 'CHRISTLIKE'.

Can you help me to learn more?

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.