Goodness - an eye-opener but hidden in shame! (5)
I believe the answer is:
piety
'goodness' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both human attributes as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps you can see a link between them that I can't see?
'an eye-opener but hidden in shame' is the wordplay.
'an eye opener but' becomes 'e' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'hidden in' indicates putting letters inside.
'shame' becomes 'pity' (synonyms).
'e' placed inside 'pity' is 'PIETY'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for piety that I've seen before include "Being faithful" , "Attentive religious practice" , "Spirituality" , "Devotion to religious principles" , "Holiness" .)