Bite lip with a smirk, inspiring contempt (8)
I believe the answer is:
pitiable
I'm afraid I can't explain this answer.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for pitiable that I've seen before include "Very poor; deserving sympathy" , "Wretched" , "Deserving contempt" , "Deserving compassion" , "Contemptible" .)