* Experiencing many hardships: They've seen too much pain, suffering, or injustice.
* Feeling jaded: They've lost their enthusiasm for life and the things that used to excite them.
* Feeling cynical: They've grown skeptical of people's motives and the world's fairness.
Essentially, it's a feeling of emotional exhaustion and weariness caused by the world's challenges.
Examples:
* "After years of working in a dead-end job, he felt world-weary and uninspired."
* "The old poet's poems were filled with world-weary cynicism and a sense of loss."
* "Her eyes held a world-weary sadness that spoke of years of struggle and disappointment."