Was he among the more urbane Romans? (4)

I believe the answer is:

nero

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

'was he' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'among the more urbane romans?' is the wordplay.
'among' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'NERO' is hidden within 'more urbane romans'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for nero that I've seen before include "Notorious Roman emperor, d. AD 68" , "Roman emperor, d. AD68" , "Roman emperor infamous for his cruelty" , "Matricidal emperor" , "Emperor who played the fiddle" .)

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.