auspices

Guiding organizational support

Auspices is almost always used in the phrase under the auspices of, meaning under the sponsorship, support, or guidance of an organization or person.

The conference was held under the auspices of the United Nations.

The word derives from ancient Roman practice of observing birds to divine whether conditions favored an undertaking—if the birds looked favorable, the auspices were good.

This origin survives in the related adjective auspicious, meaning favorable or promising success.

patronage

sponsorship

Funded endorsement arrangement

aegis · patronage · benefactor · funding · grant · subsidy · donor · philanthropy · underwriting · investment

divination

omen

Prophetic indicator

  • auguryOmen interpretation practice
  • portentSign of future calamity
  • signMark conveying information

prophecy · premonition · foreboding · harbinger · prognostication · foreshadowing · oracle · soothsaying · presage · divination

protection

shelter

Protected place or structure

sanctuary · refuge · haven · custody · safekeeping · wing · care · charge · oversight · supervision

Categories
Opposites
support and patronage

auspicesopposition

Active resistance or dissent

hindrance · obstruction · interference · resistance · sabotage

power and authority

auspicespowerlessness

Inability to affect outcomes

weakness · impotence · vulnerability · helplessness · abandonment

omen and fortune

auspicesinauspiciousness

Quality of seeming ill-fated

misfortune · malediction · curse · jinx · doom

Phrases
Family

auspicious, inauspicious, auspice

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G