Lively savage embracing Virginia (9)
I believe the answer is:
vivacious
'lively' is the definition.
('vivacious' can be similar in meaning to 'lively')
'savage embracing virginia' is the wordplay.
'savage' becomes 'vicious' ('vicious' can be a synonym of 'savage'**).
'embracing' is an insertion indicator.
'virginia' becomes 'va' (US state abbreviation).
'vicious' placed around 'va' is 'VIVACIOUS'.
(Other definitions for vivacious that I've seen before include "Effervescent" , "Full of high spirits" , "Lively and attractive" , "Attractively lively and animated" .)