Frail worker having broken spirit, lifted (6)
I believe the answer is:
feeble
'frail' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'worker having broken spirit lifted' is the wordplay.
'worker' becomes 'bee' (a worker bee).
'having broken' indicates putting letters inside.
'spirit' becomes 'elf' (magical creature).
'lifted' says the letters should be written in reverse (going up in down clue).
'bee' inserted within 'elf' is 'elbeef'.
'elbeef' back-to-front is 'FEEBLE'.
(Other definitions for feeble that I've seen before include "Weak or Fragile" , "Very weak, infirm" , "rather weak" , "Weak, debilitated" , "Weak, lacking strength" .)