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Aim: To evaluate characteristics of job‐related meaningfulness, and to assess its potential to moderate the relationship between over‐commitment and emotional exhaustion in nurses. Background: Increased demands on nurses may induce vulnerability to emotional exhaustion, decrease job satisfaction, and increase their intention to quit the job. The experience of job‐related meaningfulness through meaning‐centred logotherapy and counseling could be a resource to prevent emotional exhaustion. Method: Nurses (n = 466; 73% female) at an Austrian tertiary‐care hospital participated in a cross‐sectional survey for assessment of job‐related meaningfulness by the newly developed CERES (Concern, Enthusiasm, Relevance, Efficacy, Satisfaction) scale. CERES was tested for its moderating interaction with over‐commitment (assessed by the Effort‐Reward Imbalance Questionnaire) to prevent emotional exhaustion (as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory) by structural equation modelling. Results: The CERES scale consisting of five items has satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha:.78). Over‐commitment correlated significantly (p < .001) with emotional exhaustion. A moderating interaction of CERES with over‐commitment on emotional exhaustion was found overall (p < .001), and separately for males (p = .002) and females (p < .001). Conclusions: CERES is suitable for assessing experienced job‐related meaningfulness and it moderates emotionally exhausting effects of over‐commitment in nurses. Implications for Nursing Management: Nursing managers may improve nurses' awareness of job‐related meaningfulness by focusing on meaning‐centred feed‐back and counselling and thereby strengthening perception of concern, enthusiasm, relevance, efficacy, and satisfaction regarding their caring behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]