Different ring given to the Republican (5)
I believe the answer is:
other
'different' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'ring given to the republican' is the wordplay.
'ring' becomes 'O' (O is the shape of a ring).
'given to' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'republican' becomes 'R' (abbreviation).
'o'+'the'+'r'='OTHER'
(Other definitions for other that I've seen before include "Different, not the same one or this one" , "Distinct" , "Alternate; additional" , "not like you" , "Different; additional" .)