Abandoned female in cap (6)
I believe the answer is:
bereft
'abandoned' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'female in cap' is the wordplay.
'female' becomes 'f' (common abbreviation).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'cap' becomes 'beret' (beret is a kind of cap).
'f' put inside 'beret' is 'BEREFT'.
(Other definitions for bereft that I've seen before include "Sad through loss or deprivation" , "Grief-stricken" , "Pained by the loss of someone" , "Cut off - deprived" , "Lonely and abandoned" .)