Gave up work, extremely reclusive and exhausted (7)
I believe the answer is:
retired
'gave up work' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'extremely reclusive and exhausted' is the wordplay.
'extremely' suggests removing the centre.
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'exhausted' becomes 'tired' ('tire' can be a synonym of 'exhaust').
'reclusive' with its middle removed is 're'.
're'+'tired'='RETIRED'
(Other definitions for retired that I've seen before include "went back" , "Stopped work - went to bed" , "Gone to bed" , "No longer active in work or profession" , "Pensioned off" .)