The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word MOTHERLY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
M
O
T
H
E
R
L
Y
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Like sort of woman" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case like sort of woman = motherly.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does MOTHERLY mean?
MOTHERLY adjective- Befitting a mother; warm, caring, nurturing, protective, loving.