Underprivileged born desperately empty (5)
I believe the answer is:
needy
'underprivileged' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'born desperately empty' is the wordplay.
'born' becomes 'nee' ('nee' is 'born' in French).
'desperately' becomes 'direly' (I've seen this in another clue).
'empty' suggests removing the centre.
'direly' with its middle removed is 'dy'.
'nee'+'dy'='NEEDY'
(Other definitions for needy that I've seen before include "Craving attention" , "badly craving affection" , "Distressed" , "Deprived" , "Poverty-stricken" .)