Strayed, I hesitate to say: visibly embarrassed (5)
I believe the answer is:
erred
'strayed' is the definition.
('err' can be a synonym of 'stray')
'i hesitate to say visibly embarrassed' is the wordplay.
'i hesitate to say' becomes 'er'.
'visibly embarrassed' becomes 'red'.
'er'+'red'='ERRED'
(Other definitions for erred that I've seen before include "Made mistakes" , "Sinned" , "Strayed from the straight and narrow" , "slipped up" , "Committed a sin" .)