Crossword Genius

Sick patient naive doctor upset to some extent (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

deviant

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

'sick' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Maybe you can see an association between them that I can't see?

'patient naive doctor upset to some extent' is the wordplay.
'to some extent' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'upset' is a reversal indicator.
'tnaived' can be found hidden inside 'patient naive doctor'.
'tnaived' written backwards gives 'DEVIANT'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for deviant that I've seen before include "Twisted" , "(One) behaving differently from accepted standards" , "Abnormal" , "Diverging from acceptable behaviour" , "Nonconformist" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app