Crossword Genius

Woman being different, I gathered (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

elsie

'woman' is the definition.

'different i gathered' is the wordplay.
'different' becomes 'else' (synonyms).
'gathered' is an insertion indicator.
'else' enclosing 'i' is 'ELSIE'.

'being' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for elsie that I've seen before include "Name for girl" , "Female name; rhymes with London football team" , "Girl's name" , "Lady" , "woman" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.