There is something to be said for being succinct.

I feel your pain, OP. I also have a large vocabulary and have had these kinds of things happen before. I understand where your professor was coming from, though, since it was an essay, and essays are often written in a very simple, clear way that assumes the reader is a complete idiot. I can understand why such a thing is making you lose faith, though. In high school, I had a creative writing teacher who tried to make me remove words from my writing that, in proper English, should have been there. I think she did this kind of thing to everyone in my class, even though she was also an English teacher.

all i hear is "WAAHH, i can't be a pretentious douche without the real world calling me on it, it must be because i am so smart they are just stupid and wish they could be worldly like me" you filled an essay with useless fluff and got called out, if that was really the way you write, congratulations you are actually a vapid, tiresome twat who legit can't get her head out of her ass long enough to see things from a teachers point of view.

No, nothing says "America" like bitching about the fact that you think you deserve better than you got.

The point of language is communication. If you intentionally choose complicated or unfamiliar words, your message becomes lost. Sorry OP, Professor was doing their job, just learn from it.

I hate that so much but he might have a point. As other commenters have pointed out, teachers do not want fluff; but at the same time, you feel like if teachers spent years helping you develop your vocabulary, you might as well use it.

Nothing says Thesaurus like someone trying to show off their "intellect" by using big words all the time. It makes it seem like you are trying to show off and failing.

He scolded you for being superfluous and pretentious; a couple more words for your 'complex vocabulary'.

Ridiculousness....

The teacher is right. Good writing should be clear and concise.. There is no benefit in rambling on unnecessarily or using large words that only a Spelling Bee champion would know.