It always means opposed to change, preserving traditional systems and values.
In order to take down and overthrow an oppressive established political system, our nations founders forged a political coalition that it was agreed to by all should not and could not be allowed to be divided by religious differences. That is our tradition.
Nice except.... except its not about religion its about tribes.. religious or not..
You know tribes, mobs, minorities and majorities, smart and dumb, rich and poor....
Which is WHY they wrote the Constitution down so it could be followed..
The words democratic and democracy not mentioned one time in it.. ON PURPOSE.. anywhere...
They knew something almost all republicans DO NOT know.. and ALL democrats...
Democracy sucks.. it's nasty... not a scintilla of value anywhere in it..
Not only that it's a lie... no democracy has even been democratic.. it's bait and switch.. a scam..
Decent people spit when they hear the word democracy.. indecent people DON'T..
In America the term "conservative" means specifically a commitment to traditional understandings of the US Constitution and limited government.
Today that would require major, even wrenching, changes.
In a sense, then, that makes a true conservative something of a "radical."
So the point is not "change versus no-change", but rather, "which direction of change".