This word has meant the same thing for over 200 years, like apple, or good, or bad, or golden - Definition of liberal
1 a :of, relating to, or based on the liberal arts liberal education
b archaic :of or befitting a man of free birth
2 a :marked by generosity :openhanded a liberal giver
b :given or provided in a generous and openhanded way a liberal meal
c :ample, full
3 obsolete :lacking moral restraint :licentious
4 :not literal or strict :loose a liberal translation
5 :broad-minded; especially :not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms
6 a :of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism
b capitalized :of or constituting a political party advocating or associated with the principles of political liberalism; especially :of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom associated with ideals of individual especially economic freedom, greater individual participation in government, and constitutional, political, and administrative reforms designed to secure these objectives