The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word PIETY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
P
I
E
T
Y
More clues leading to the result PIETY
- Shame about end of true religious devotion
- Pastry tray empty — goodness!
- Devotion of shepherd’s maybe timely in the extreme
- Shame about conclusion of padre's godliness
- Sympathy about the end of Rome’s Holiness
- One gets caught in fit of temper, initially, your Holiness?
- Goodness! Shame drug’s injected
- Ruth nurses Earl, showing devotion
- Shame about me ignoring male devotion
- Pastry case in tray – good stuff!
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "godliness" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case godliness = piety.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does PIETY mean?
PIETY noun- Reverence and devotion to God.
- Similar reverence to one's parents and family or to one's country.
- A devout act or thought.
- A belief that is accepted unthinkingly and with undue reverence.