Woman almost improved (5)
I believe the answer is:
bette
'woman' is the definition.
'almost improved' is the wordplay.
'almost' means to remove the last letter (most of the word but not all of it).
'improved' becomes 'better' (similar in meaning).
'better' with its last letter taken away is 'BETTE'.
(Another definition for bette that I've seen is " - - Davis (film star)".)
I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution?
Install my app