Bacterial disease epidemics continue to be a major escalating health concern worldwide. The advent of antibiotic overuse has since been linked to the continuous expansion of multi-drug resistant and “superbugs,” which in turn has led to MDR diseases. The intriguing physicochemical characteristics of versatile nanomaterials hold the potential to evaluate and optimize their antibacterial properties. An advantageous aspect of nanomaterials is their dimensionality, which can alter their intrinsic properties and influence the antibacterial mechanisms of different materials. Furthermore, 2D nanomaterials have attracted considerable attention for overcoming the problems of resistance and eliminating other side effects owing to their comparatively simple synthesis and the potential to modify their inherent properties to render them sensitive to a wide variety of stimuli. Photoinduced bacterial inactivation has garnered much attention, because photoinduced antibacterial nanomaterials target a particular site, which makes it difficult for bacteria to acquire resistance when they are exposed. Nanomaterials exhibit significant photoconversion efficiency, thermalizing the photon energy that has been absorbed. In this approach, the maximum heat stress generated by the photoinduced mechanism can denature most proteins, causing functional impairment in the cell and eventually leading to microbial death. 2D nanomaterials have been found to exhibit a variety of indistinguishable antimicrobial mechanisms, such as the ability to physically penetrate membranes, extract phospholipids or produce oxygen reactive species. To combat bacterial pests, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the readily available nanomaterials.