Adjective
“ relying on experience or observation alone often without due regard for system and theory” -Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
The sentence the word was used in the article “Here, Poverty And Privilege Are Neighbors; Income Gaps Are a source of Resentment and Guilt” by Janny Scott, in the sentence “It’s always an empirical question, to what extent propinquity matters to people.”
At first the word sounded as if it was synonym for important. However upon looking up what the word meant it gives a more clearer idea of what the sentence meant. Which was in questioning about the experience and observation of a person about a certain or nearby time and place for them and seeing how much it mattered to them.
