Crossword Genius

Regretted sounding ill-mannered (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

rued

'regretted' is the definition.
('rue' can be a synonym of 'regret')

'sounding ill-mannered' is the wordplay.
'sounding' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'ill-mannered' becomes 'rude' (synonyms).
'rude' sounds like 'RUED'.

(Other definitions for rued that I've seen before include "Was sorry" , "was remorseful" , "'Regretted, repented (4)'" , "Was contrite about" , "Bitterly regretted" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.
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