Sensible soldier in the pub (7)
I believe the answer is:
logical
'sensible' is the definition.
(associated in meaning)
'soldier in the pub' is the wordplay.
'soldier' becomes 'GI' (GI can mean a US soldier).
'in the' indicates putting letters inside.
'pub' becomes 'local' (one's local pub).
'gi' put within 'local' is 'LOGICAL'.
(Other definitions for logical that I've seen before include "Clearly and soundly reasoned" , "Correctly thought out" , "Well reasoned" , "Based on reason" , "Well-reasoned" .)