Crossword Genius

Refusal to admit someone good is bad (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

nasty

'is bad' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'refusal to admit someone good' is the wordplay.
'refusal' becomes 'nay' (archaic word for 'no').
'to admit' is an insertion indicator.
'someone good' becomes 'st' (saint).
'nay' going around 'st' is 'NASTY'.

(Other definitions for nasty that I've seen before include "Vile" , "One who sees the future" , "Disgusting" , "grave" , "Horrid, repugnant" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.