Crossword Genius

Harmful insect we eradicated (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

evil

'harmful' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'insect we eradicated' is the wordplay.
'insect' becomes 'weevil' (weevil is a type of beetle).
'eradicated' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'weevil' with 'we' taken away is 'EVIL'.

(Other definitions for evil that I've seen before include "Excellent" , "Morally corrupt" , "Malignant" , "heinous" , "mischief" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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