We would say > The **use** of the word is widespread nowadays. and there **widespread** would be an adjectival modifier of the subject **use** attached to it by the predicate **is**. **Widespread** is an interesting adjective. It's really a past-participle form, **spread**, with a sort of locative modifier **wide**, rolled up into a ball, as it were. If we untangle the ball we could say: > The use of the word is **spread wide** nowadays.