Crossword Genius

Are many heartened by his uprightness? (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ian

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

'many heartened by his uprightness?' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'are' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'are' could be 'a' (short for 'are', historical unit of measurement) and 'a' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'in' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ian that I've seen before include "Scottish John" , "Albert Beale's first name in EastEnders" , "Botham or Chappell?" , "The familar Dr Paisley" , "The familiar Dr Paisley" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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.