Weary, tried anyway (5)
I believe the answer is:
tired
'weary' is the definition.
('tired' can be similar in meaning to 'weary')
'tried anyway' is the wordplay.
'anyway' indicates anagramming the letters.
'tried' anagrammed gives 'TIRED'.
(Other definitions for tired that I've seen before include "In need of sleep" , "Beat" , "Weary, fatigued" , "Are American cars so" , "Whacked" .)