This study investigates the instability in suspended monolayer 2D materials, such as graphene and MoS₂, using a push-to-shear (PTS) strategy. The researchers examine the dynamic process of dynamic wrinkling, splitting, and smoothing, finding that these materials experience stepwise instabilities with different recovery processes. These instabilities are governed by the materials' geometry, pretension, and elastic nonlinearity. The tunable instability behavior allows for measuring the bending stiffness of monolayer 2D materials and opens new opportunities for programming their nanoscale instability patterns and physical properties. The study provides a whole-process perspective on the stepwise instabilities and their reverse processes, establishing a correlation between wrinkling geometry and strains. The findings contribute to the understanding of the instability of atomically thin materials and their applications in electronics and devices.This study investigates the instability in suspended monolayer 2D materials, such as graphene and MoS₂, using a push-to-shear (PTS) strategy. The researchers examine the dynamic process of dynamic wrinkling, splitting, and smoothing, finding that these materials experience stepwise instabilities with different recovery processes. These instabilities are governed by the materials' geometry, pretension, and elastic nonlinearity. The tunable instability behavior allows for measuring the bending stiffness of monolayer 2D materials and opens new opportunities for programming their nanoscale instability patterns and physical properties. The study provides a whole-process perspective on the stepwise instabilities and their reverse processes, establishing a correlation between wrinkling geometry and strains. The findings contribute to the understanding of the instability of atomically thin materials and their applications in electronics and devices.