Crossword Genius

Wicked monster beheaded (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

evil

'wicked' is the definition.
('evil' is associated in meaning with 'wicked')

'monster beheaded' is the wordplay.
'monster' becomes 'devil' ('devil' can be a synonym of 'monster').
'beheaded' means to remove the first letter.
'devil' with its first letter taken off is 'EVIL'.

(Other definitions for evil that I've seen before include "Wicked - social problem" , "Vile (anag) -- really bad" , "Live kind of badness" , "Wicked, sinful" , "Morally bad" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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