Trendy medic has a tree hybrid confirmed (10)

I believe the answer is:

inveterate

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'confirmed' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'trendy medic has a tree hybrid' is the wordplay.
'trendy' becomes 'in' ('in' can mean fashionable).
'medic has' becomes 'vet' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'hybrid' is an anagram indicator (a hybrid is a mixture).
'a'+'tree'='atree'
'atree' is an anagram of 'erate'.
'in'+'vet'+'erate'='INVETERATE'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for inveterate that I've seen before include "Firmly established by usage or custom" , "long-standing" , "Long-formed (bad habit)" , "Confirmed in (bad) habit" , "Habitual" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.

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