Hard rain disturbed shrew (8)
I believe the answer is:
harridan
'shrew' is the definition.
(harridan is a kind of shrew)
'hard rain disturbed' is the wordplay.
'disturbed' indicates an anagram (the order of letters is disturbed).
'hard'+'rain'='hardrain'
'hardrain' is an anagram of 'HARRIDAN'.
(Other definitions for harridan that I've seen before include "Scolding or bullying old woman" , "angry woman" , "Old nag" , "shrew" , "Female bully" .)